A funeral for producer, singer, manager and man-about-town Kim Fowley, who died Jan. 15 of bladder cancer, was held on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 22 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Among those in attendance were Joan Jett, who delivered a heartfelt speech; longtime friend Michael Des Barres, who delivered the eulogy and later tweeted that the ceremony was “transcendent”; Shaun Cassidy and Osmonds producer Michael Lloyd, who shared amusing anecdotes; I’m With the Band author Pamela Des Barres; and L.A. icon Rodney Bingenheimer, who sat in the front row. “All were paying tribute to his selfless, sweet wife, Kara Wright,” one guest tells Billboard. “He finally found true love.”
Kim Fowley, Legendary Record Producer, Dead at 75
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A colorful and sometimes controversial character, Fowley, who was 75 when he died, is credited with discovering and managing the Runaways in the late 1970s. He also released his own music in the 1960s, scoring a No. 1 single with “Alley Oop” by fictional group the Hollywood Argyles.
In the days since Fowley’s death, tributes and remembrances have been pouring in from all over the industry. Wrote Cherie Currie, singer for the Runaways: “Thank you for starting my career when I was a just a child. You were instrumental in so many getting started in this crazy world of music. You are a genius… you are loved. You will be so missed.”
It was reported that Fowley had expressed a dying wish to be featured on the cover of Girls and Corpses magazine. According to TMZ, the publication’s publisher passed on the request. A photo of Fowley’s grave, however, was posted on Twitter soon after the funeral wrapped:
#kimFowley grave #Hollywood music huckster #Hollywoodforever pic.twitter.com/KqfHmLcufW
— LA Hipster (@lahipster) January 23, 2015