September 30, 1977 – June 21, 2020
Jerame Aaron Tyree, affectionately known as “Tilt,” was born in Bellflower, California, on September 30, 1977. He passed away unexpectedly in his Los Angeles apartment on June 21, 2020, at the age of 42.
Tilt spent a lifetime enriching the world through music, humor, and deeply felt friendships. During his college years in Cedar City, Utah, he was a minor celebrity, recognized for his influence on the state and local music scene as a trumpeter, DJ, and VJ, as well as his outstanding performances with the improv comedy troupe Off the Cuff. Tilt was also known for his honest and open disposition as a person. Whether connecting with someone in intimate conversation or entertaining a crowd while on stage, he seemed at home.
After graduating with a degree in communication from Southern Utah University, Tilt moved back to California to pursue a career in comedy and acting. With Second City Los Angeles and iO West, he honed his skills as a sketch comedy artist. He performed on cruise ships, secured acting roles in film productions, and co-founded Ham Radio, a premier Los Angeles improv comedy team. Highly respected by his fellow performers and beloved by his fans, Tilt’s performance style was at once funny, vulnerable, and smart. He was just as able to deliver a witty call back as he was to speak an incisive truth or summon real tears. And he was always ready with an uninhibited laugh that could charm the whole room.
Tilt’s final days were spent championing his fellow human beings: reaching out to friends with love and compliments, walking in marches for equal justice, and collaborating on creative projects that would have added beauty, humor, and kindness to a world sorely in need of his talents.
Tilt leaves behind a diverse, twenty-first century posterity that includes acolytes who were drawn to his charisma and companions who were embraced by his good will. For him, friendships were a bulwark against life’s challenges. He loved freely, and he supported those close to him as if they were family. That is his legacy.
Tilt’s ashes will be interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. An in-person memorial service has been delayed. An online memorial service will take place on August 2, 2020, at 1 p.m. MST. For further details, please visit the “Remembering Tilt” Facebook page. Tilt is survived by his mother, Cindi Tyree, his brother, Jayson Tyree, and his half-sister, Wendy Baker.
Written by BEN CROSBY.