Pasadena Pays Tribute to Late Pasadena Councilman John J. Kennedy at Public City Hall Memorial Today

Family, friends and former City Council colleagues will be among the hundreds of community members expected to gather outside City Hall Friday evening to celebrate the life of John J. Kennedy, a longtime Pasadena councilman who died in office on July 21 at age 61.

The celebration is being organized by the Kennedy family and the Pasadena City Council, on which Kennedy, a Pasadena native, sat for nearly a decade.

The memorial begins at 5 p.m., with Mayor Victor Gordo joining local leaders and clergy as expected speakers.

Kennedy died suddenly of unspecified causes.

“While we are all deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our friend and colleague, John Kennedy, we should always remember and celebrate his many accomplishments and contributions to our city and beyond,” Gordo said in a statement at the time of Kennedy’s death.

“John Kennedy loved Pasadena and the people of Pasadena. He worked hard every day to make Pasadena a better place for everyone. He dedicated himself to helping others, and we are all better off because of his efforts. His was a life well-lived.”

Kennedy attended Blair High School and USC, receiving degrees in International Relations and Economics. He went on to earn a law degree at Howard University School of Law, and later served as president of the Pasadena branch of the NAACP.

He was elected to the Pasadena City Council in 2013, serving on the Public Safety and Finance committees, and representing the city on the Burbank- Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

In lieu of flowers, Kennedy’s family has requested that contributions be made in his honor to a scholarship fund at the Pasadena Community Foundation. Donations can be made at bit.ly/PCFKennedyFund.