Well, damn. Immediately after I began to write about a tidbit that’s tangentially related to Inglourious Basterds, this sobering news arrived. Sally Menke, longtime editor to Quentin Tarantino, has passed away:

Menke, 57, was apparently hiking with a friend on the hottest day ever recorded in Los Angeles since the National Weather Service starting keep records 133 years ago. Thermometers recorded a high of 113 degrees in downtown Los Angeles Monday afternoon, the weather service said.

Menke became separated from her friend, who was walking a dog, according to police spokesman Richard French. The friend called police when she could not locate Menke at the end of the hike early Monday evening, French said.

Menke was a two-time Oscar nominated editor (for Pulp Fiction and Basterds) with more than 20 film credits to her name. She’s often been spoken of as an “integral” component to Tarantino’s success, and the two obviously enjoyed a highly symbiotic working relationship. An early reaction comes from Basterd Omar Doom:

Finally, here’s some “Hello Sallys” from Tarantino, Melanie Laurent, Mike Myers, Til Schweiger, and more on the Basterds set: