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Obituaries

In Memoriam: Bob Roach, Lighting Industry Veteran, 67

Bob Roach

Robert David Roach, 67 of Longwood, FL, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on March 7, 2023. Bob had recently been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and received a successful bone marrow transplant from his son, Mike. Sadly, in his weakened state he contracted pneumonia and was not able to rebound from it. He was born in Johnson City, TN on March 25, 1955 to John and Josephine Roach who preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by brothers John and Jim Roach.Read More »In Memoriam: Bob Roach, Lighting Industry Veteran, 67

In Memoriam: James Moody, Designer, Author, Teacher, Mentor, 80

Designer James L. Moody died on Monday, February 20, 2023, at the age of 80. Lighting Designer for theater, concerts, and television as well as professor, lecturer, author, and mentor, Moody had an amazing and varied career.

We send our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues on his passing. His daughter Kimberly posted on Facebook, saying “For friends and family who knew him and would like to celebrate his life there will be two ceremonies, one at his Buddhist temple in Los Angeles and the other with the United States Coast Guard in Oxnard.” PLSN will share those details when we get them.Read More »In Memoriam: James Moody, Designer, Author, Teacher, Mentor, 80

In Memoriam: John Bilyk, 70

John Bilyk

Robe Lighting, Inc. is deeply saddened to announce that John Bilyk, a well-known and colorful figure in the Canadian and American stage lighting communities, died on the evening of December 11, 2022. He was 70 years old. Bilyk passed away at home peacefully, after a nearly year-long battle with brain cancer, and he is survived by his wife, Tracey.Read More »In Memoriam: John Bilyk, 70

In Memoriam: Walter Stark, Prop Artisan at Utah Shakespeare Festival

PLSN has learned of the death of Walter Stark, who served as Senior Prop Artisan at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. After a long battle with cancer, Stark passed away at the age of 82. Stark was a senior prop artisan for 10 years, and he was an integral part of the Festival. Liz Armstrong, Content Creator at the Festival created this post acknowledging his passing on the Festival’s website:Read More »In Memoriam: Walter Stark, Prop Artisan at Utah Shakespeare Festival

In Memoriam: Jim Read, FASTC Theater Consultant

James “Jim” Read, FASTC 1933 – 2022

The American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) mourns the loss of longtime member and Fellow, James “Jim” Read, FASTC, who passed away on November 2, 2022. Read served as a President of the ASTC and was a constant presence at organization events. Even as he retired from consulting and moved to emeritus status, Read was often present online or in person, always contributing observations and information.Read More »In Memoriam: Jim Read, FASTC Theater Consultant

In Memoriam: Robin Alexander Irvine, Tour Manager, 77

Robin Irvine, a New York-based tour manager for such acts as Cyndi Lauper, Foreigner, B-52’s, Eurythmics, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Robert Gordon and many others, died Aug. 21 at the age of 77. An open-mic celebration of his life is planned for Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 at the Washington Irving Boat Club in Tarrytown, NY from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

In Memoriam: The Industry Remembers Randy Mayer

Randy Mayer, longtime Director of Concert Touring for Screenworks/NEP, died Aug. 2, 2022 at age 48. Based in the Los Angeles area, Mayer joined Screenworks in Jan. 2010 after playing a key role expanding West Coast sales for High End Systems and related products. He is survived by his wife Jocelyn and two sons. Mayer also leaves behind many industry friends, some of whom shared their remembrances with PLSN.

In Memoriam: James Poole, Lighting Designer/Director, 34

Edward “James” Poole, 34, lighting designer/director, died July 19, 2022, a day before his 35th birthday. Poole was most recently out on tour as lighting designer/director with The Pretty Reckless. Before that, he spent about five years on the road as Tracy Lawrence’s LD.

In Memoriam: Eric Pearce, Innovator and Visionary, 72

It is with a heavy heart that PLSN has learned of the passing of industry visionary, Eric Pearce, owner of SGPS/ShowRig. He died on Sunday, July 24, 2022, he was 72. Details of his passing have not yet been released. He was a Parnelli Visionary Honoree in 2013 and will be greatly missed throughout the industry. We will have more on the life and career of Pearce at a later date.

Read More »In Memoriam: Eric Pearce, Innovator and Visionary, 72