Former L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge Dies At 67

Above, L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge (left facing camera) at the Godzilla
 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2004. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Former Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represented the Hollywood area, passed away Thursday.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported:

Former longtime Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, known for his big personality and passion for the simple joys of the city he lived in, died Thursday at the age of 67.

An avid hiker, especially in the Griffith Park hills that he scaled almost daily, LaBonge left his mark on the city in ways large and small, including during a Sunday trek down the Los Angeles River in 2015 in which he punctuated to the world his wonder at this uniquely Angeleno experience.

“What a day! What a sky! What a river!” he could be heard declaring in a video posted on his Facebook page, shortly before he left office in June 2015.

The clip showed a slice of his day, through shots of his sneakers on the pavement, the sound of chirping birds and a sideways, panning shot of his beloved Griffith Park, a Los Angeles landmark he helped to expand by 500 acres. It was an example of the many times he has expressed his love for the city, and its many jewels.  

Paramedics had responded Thursday to a call of a person in cardiac arrest at LaBonge’s home, according to ABC7. Further details were not disclosed.

LaBonge participated in the dedication ceremony of Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2004 on Hollywood Blvd. At one point, he said to Godzilla, "I thought you were a little bit taller!"

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