Sunset Memorial For Huell Howser Tuesday at Griffith Observatory

A public memorial for longtime local television personality Huell Howser will be held Tuesday at the Griffith Observatory, located at 2800 E. Observatory Road.

Click here to read about a Laguna Niguel resident's connection to Howser.

Friends and fans of the longtime host of KCET-TV Channel 28's "California's Gold" are invited by Councilman Tom LaBonge to gather at the landmark observatory on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for a sunset memorial.

Howser died of natural causes at age 67 Jan. 7 at his Palm Springs home. The native Tennessean, who had been a feature reporter for television stations in Nashville and New York City before moving to Los Angeles, endeared himself to public television audiences, taking viewers on the road with him to explore little-known attractions across the state.

His "California's Gold" show ran for 19 years on KCET.

"Huell had a tremendous enthusiasm for California landmarks like the Griffith Observatory," according to LaBonge, who was sworn into office by Howser in 2001. "And now we must say goodbye to our own California landmark, Huell Howser."

Howser was a U.S. Marine and an aide to then-Sen. Howard Baker, R-Tenn., before starting his career in television.

A shuttle to and from the observatory from the Greek Theatre parking lot will be offered for overflow crowds, according to LaBonge's office.

The service is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

--City News Service