Popular Springfield musician Jim Wunderle, who wrote movie reviews for Springfield Business Journal for more than two decades, died Oct. 18 after a long illness. He was 59.
Wunderle, known in the Springfield music community as part of bands such as The Dog People and The Fabulous Unexpected, helped to create the ‘Imagine: A Tribute to John Lennon’ concert, which raises money annually for nonprofits, according to
KSPR, SBJ's media partner. The 2011 concert benefited Women in Need of the Ozarks, according to
SpringfieldMo.org.
Wunderle wrote movie reviews for SBJ 1986-2011. His final review, published on SBJ.net on Oct. 7, 2011, gave light praise to the film “
Dolphin Tale." Wunderle's first review for SBJ was published in the March 3, 1986, issue, when he reviewed action movie "F/X."
Wunderle's June 25, 2010, review of Ozarks-filmed "Winter's Bone," which he called a "powerfully affecting story," is one of SBJ's most-viewed articles of the past two years. As of Oct. 22, it has received more than 5,000 views.
Friends and fans have taken to Wunderle's
Facebook page, where myriad condolences and remembrances have been posted.
According to a Facebook post by Terry Cone, Wunderle's wife and a movie companion he often mentioned in his reviews, a celebration of his life will be held in a few weeks, but a date has not been set.[[In-content Ad]]