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Huell Howser had so many fans. On Tuesday, they came out by the hundreds to celebrate him.
At an afternoon memorial at Griffith Park Observatory, they swapped stories, laughed and cried, and talked about him as if he were an old friend, even if they’d only watched him on TV.
For three decades, Howser -- who died last week at 67 -- explored California’s people and places for his homespun television shows.
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At the observatory, people talked about all the adventures they’d had because of him, how they had set out in search of the obscure landmarks and hole-in-the-wall diners he introduced them to in his travels.
L.A. Councilman Tom LaBonge organized the event, which included speakers and a flyover by an LAPD helicopter.
Just before sunset, as LaBonge stood on the observatory steps, music began playing from speakers. It was Howser singing his ‘California Gold’ theme song, ‘California, Here I Come.’ LaBonge urged everyone to sing along. As the song played over and over again, people joined him on the steps, singing and dancing.
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It was heartfelt. It was hokey. It seemed just right.
People could practically hear Howser’s voice saying, ‘That’s amaazing!’
Read my latest City Beat on the Huell Howser memorial here.
And see faces in the crowd in the photos I sent out on Twitter:
Former Los Angeles Times columnist Nita Lelyveld wrote City Beat stories about moments in the life of Los Angeles. She was born in New York and grew up around the world, but lived in L.A. longer than she lived anywhere else. Before joining The Times in 2001, she wrote for the Tuscaloosa News, the Associated Press and the Philadelphia Inquirer, which sent her to L.A. as a national writer in 1997.
