Lynn Shelton, a prolific American filmmaker who helped define the mumblecore genre, died unexpectedly over the weekend due to a “previously unknown, underlying†blood disorder. Her romantic and creative partner of many years, Marc Maron, was one of the first people to share the news of her passing, saying that they were just about to start “a life together.†Now, a devastated Maron dedicated the May 18 episode of his WTF podcast to Shelton by re-airing their 2015 interview — which happened to be when the duo realized their mutual attraction. “She was my partner. She was my girlfriend. She was my friend. And I loved her. A lot. And she loved me, and I knew that,†Maron said in a new recorded introduction. “I don’t know that I had ever felt what I felt with her before. I do know, actually. I did not. I have not. I was getting used to love in the way of being able to accept it and show it properly in an intimate relationship. I was so comfortable with this person, with Lynn Shelton. I was able to exist in a place of self-acceptance because of her love for me. I made her laugh all the time. She made me laugh. We were happy.â€
Maron recalled the days leading up to Shelton’s death, which were plagued by the filmmaker suffering from a fever and sore throat. The evening before Maron was set to take Shelton to a doctor for further blood tests, she collapsed in a hallway in her home. Despite a quick 911 call and a trip to two hospitals, the doctors were unable to save her despite their “amazing†efforts. “My connection with her is almost seamless,†Maron concluded. “I have no self-consciousness when I’m with her. I was always better with her. I was a better person when I was engaged with her, as a guitar player, as a lover, as a human, as an actor. I was better in Lynn Shelton’s gaze.â€