Golden Bear’s Babiracki Dies

Richard Babiracki, co-owner of the fabled Golden Bear Nightclub, died of respiratory failure February 5th at a hospital in Orange, Calif.

Babiracki, 56, and his brother, Charles, ran the 300-capacity Huntington Beach night spot that featured rock, blues, folk, country and comedy from 1974 until it closed in 1986, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The brothers kept up with the trends, booking acts including Jimmy Buffett, Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Oingo Boingo.

Babiracki went into real estate after the Golden Bear closed, but stayed involved in the music business booking concerts for the Bacchanal club in San Diego, the Times said.