Randy DeRoy Mantooth, September 19, 1945 - July 9, 2026
There have been an innumerable amount of tributes, memories and condolences shared on social media since Randy passed away, it truly was heartwarming to see.
In the very short time that I had "discovered" the television show "Emergency!" in late October of last year, 2025, and begun watching You Tube interviews and reading old interviews, it was so apparent that Randy had touched an enormous amount of lives. The social media comments dated over a span of several decades, an incredible amount from active or retired first responders or those in the medical field, who had been inspired by the show. Over and over and over again.
Randy's sister Tonya spoke soon after his passing at the Pinnacle EMS Conference in San Diego last month, on July 14:
She recalled a birthday card he once gave her that read, “The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you discover why.”
“And I truly believe Randy discovered his why the day he stepped foot on the stage of ‘Emergency!’” she said. - source (Facebook)
And it truly sounds and looks like Randy walked the walk and talked the talk. He was so concerned about the future of paramedics and EMT's - about burnout, their funding and pay, and reminding them of the importance of what they do, as well as the reason why they entered the profession which was to help people. This quote from an interview he did in 2019 is amazing because it so exemplified his character of John Gage, who was so comforting to those he was rescuing. How many times did Johnny say, "You're going to be alright. We're here to help you. We're going to get you out of this." He would kneel down to the victims, talking to them. And there have been a few times where this author thought if she needed rescuing, the perfect rescuer would be someone like John Gage, who would be such a comfort.
His quote:
All that equipment that we use in the field saves lives. It really does. But I still ride out a lot with fire departments and, more and more, I’m seeing the younger generation get so caught up in the technology that the patient gets lost. I see it. The one thing in my course of training was how you make them feel. It’s not about numbers as much. That shouldn’t be the focal point. It’s really – how are you making them feel? They’re not going to remember that you might have used the Jaws of Life to cut them out of the car. They’re not going to remember what kind of medicine you used. But they’ll always remember how you made them feel. I address that pretty strongly in my speeches.
You have a whole wall of technology in front of you and sometimes it gives the care provider a wall of anonymity. They insulate themselves away from the pain that’s there. You leave that patient lost. He’s having the worst day of his life and you’re looking at numbers. Every now and then, you’ve got to look up. You’ve got to look them in the eye and tell them – with all the compassion you have in your heart – that everything’s going to be okay, because I’m here. I’m here to help you. I’m here to save you. –
via Discover Con interviews, October 13, 2019
And Randy spent several decades traveling the U.S. speaking to countless groups - that's how important it was to him. He also spoke about how he felt he could never repay paramedics because of his first-hand experience as well as one of his sisters being saved by them as well.
The amount of photos taken with Randy by fans that were shared on message boards were countless. He had traveled so much, visiting conferences and firehouses. The above quote really summed up how he felt and there isn't anything that could be added unless you were to read the many accounts from fans or first responders who had visited with him.
In the too-brief time that I began enjoying learning about Randy, I was able to see how proud he was of his Native American heritage, how politically and socially aware he was, how much he loved dogs (I never would have been able to guess him having chickens, lol), and how much he obviously enjoyed people in general. When you spend as much time as he apparently did talking to friends as well as strangers with hundreds of photos to show for it, that's just a people person. You are a people person, the best kind.
Oh, and how funny he was. This cracked me up. I know that he loved to tell stories and he knew that he was known for his sense of humor, but for me, the most endearing part of his sense of humor was when he wasn't trying to be. In this clip, when he mimic'd an imagined 60-some year old John and Roy trying to work on a patient in a reunion project, it really sent me laughing. Randy had no filter. 😅 😂
He was so self-deprecating when it came to himself (and sometimes Kevin) and aging. This was within a fan's Facebook comment about a time when they met Randy:
I had the pleasure of hearing him as a keynote speaker at an event in Atlantic City, NJ about 20 years ago. He was an amazing speaker...warm, entertaining and of course educational. I got to meet him afterwards. He autographed a picture I had of he and Kevin from Emergency. I asked him what came to mind when he looked at the picture, and he laughed and said, "Boy, how young we were.". - Facebook
With his sister Tonya and brother Don,
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| What a silly. And no, this was not a scene included in The Gymnast ep |
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| as John Gage: "I'm a rescue man." |
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| in the play "Superior Donuts" |
He aged so gracefully.
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2023
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In a matter of 8-ish months, I learned that Randy enjoyed camping. He appreciated the outdoors and national parks. He valued his family and friends. He loved his dogs. He wasn't afraid of hard work. He loved to climb. He had taken aerobics. He cared about his hair. 😊 He liked to do the right thing. He was polite (hey, that's not a given with people, anymore.)
I didn't see him in General Hospital, The Seekers, Operation Petticoat, or other projects - only saw him in Adam-12 and The Love Boat. He didn't want to be known for his looks, but as a good actor. Well, he had both, and a wonderful personality to boot.
On Emergency!, it was incredible that he could be goofy or unassuming one minute, and then sharp as a tack, alert and commanding the next. He covered every expression: sorrow, empathy, pain, puzzlement, compassion, anger (boy, could he show anger! 😂), sarcasm, enthusiasm, sneakiness, worry, scorn ... you name it.
Randy, you were a fine, wonderful actor. And incredibly blessed with an abundance of friends and experiences. While those closest to him are now missing him and his presence, they can take comfort that he will at least be given a new body, one that is renewed and free of pain.
It's never too late to discover someone's successful screen work and learn a little bit about them as a person and their work for their fellow man. We at Narnia are grateful to have barely caught onto the tail end of his shooting star in real time.
And now? What do you mean? Just try to keep up with that star. Fly high, Randy.
pic sources: discover con, pinterest, emergency51, Facebook, LA County Fire Dept, EMS1,
geturns, instagram, and anyone else possibly missed, You Tube
our playlist: My Angel - Bertha Tillman
Fly Away - John Denver
The Light in Your Eyes - LeAnn Rimes
Shining Light - Annie Lennox
Lord of the Dance - James B Partridge
Ave Maria - Kenny G
