I'm very happy Jim Shore is okay, as far as we know.
Decades ago, maybe the late seventies or very early eighties, my dear sister and I met him.
We lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and it must have been fall, we were in Saratoga shopping for Christmas pretties and he was in our favorite small shop and signing his carvings, we each bought one. He was lovely and gracious. He was doing his own carvings at the time. I'm sure he had help.
Another time was at the Pleasanton Harvest Festival, it is a huge festival, acres and acres, all covered, hundreds of vendors, he was there and very busy.
Lovely man.