Yesterday morning Rhonda Bunkelman, a Los Angeles Burner, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones. She had been recovering from a stroke that she suffered from in early January 2012. Rhonda is survived by her husband Jim Bunkelman and friend Marcy Rosenthal.  More information about services are forthcoming.

More sad news posted by Bobzilla earlier today:Long time burner, Captain Jim Peterson of Tuna Guys is lost at sea. On 12/12 his boat capsized. The 2 other deck hands were rescued and they will be OK. The search for Capt. Petersen has been suspended by the Coast Guard.  Below is an interview as recorded of Jim by Cowboyangel at Tuna Camp in 2004.

This in from Bobzilla posted earlier today:More sad news. Mike Aquino aka Skid has passed away. Mike was the man behind K-SVERT 106.5 FM on the playa and well as a former Burning Man Regional Rep for the South Bay. He was a huge part of the Burning Man community and a big part of the Burning Man Radio family. He was a friend and will be very much missed. Please keep him, his family and his

It is with a sad and heavy heart to announce the passing of Rod Garrett, Black Rock City's City Planner. Rod's duties included city planning and design, design of official structures, as well as production of illustrations and other graphics.Rod first attended the event in ’95. He says he didn’t realize then that he'd go back to Burning Man again and again, much less end up designing a city for

Thank you all for being my family. On to the next thing. I'll always be around, all you have to do is look for me. Peace. Micheal R. Steffy "JarJar" 06.19.58 - 07.18.11 Gone Home

RIP Charlie Russell (1965-2011)Charlie Stephen Russell aka "Chasterus", born January 6, 1965, passed away on May 12, 2011 in his amazing art installation/home in East Jesus, Slab City, California, from unknown causes. Charlie is probably best known for "Cinnabar Charm" (named after the Th. Metger poem) a VW Camper Bus art car.  Of the many things said of Charlie since his passing, friend and lover

As we mentioned in a previous post, this blog is on hiatus until further notice.  However, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the passing yesterday of Rik Sharaj, a longtime member of both the Burning Man and Moontribe communities.Rik was a master sitarist that performed at many events including the Glastonbury Festival, Burning Man, Mountain Air, LearningParty, Zenfest and Moontribe.

Grant Martin Fey, born in Memphis, TN and resident of Ventura, CA  died Tuesday December 21, 2010 at the age of 33. An informal memorial and hike in his honor took place yesterday in Ventura.Co-worker Michael Destito remembers Grant: "I worked with Grant at The Good Bar in Ventura, CA. He was an awesome guy who worked hard and was my friend. He cracked me up with his crazy-colored pants he'd

This stunning video portrait of Burning Dan was lensed and edited by 1ml.Note: this video is featured in HD. If you have a slow connection it is really worth the wait.

The RenFaire and Burning Man communities have suffered a great loss when Daniel Gordon-Levitt aka "Burning Dan" passed away on Sunday, 3 October 2010 at 3:58 am on Monday, 4 October 2010.  The details as to his demise are sketchy however according to Teafaerie: "It was a tragic accident. I was with him when he passed, and he was not in pain or afraid." The featured video above is an edited clip

Greg "The Philospher" Tropea of BRCPO has gone to the eternal playa having succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 59. He got his moniker because he was a professor of philosophy at Cal State University, Chico. A memorial is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 10 in the Bell Memorial Union at Chico State. When asked just a few days before his passing if he was scared to die Tropea responded, "No, I'm

I know this information is late and I apologize for that but I am traveling abroad and will not return state-side until mid-month. Yesterday, January 2, 2010, marked the memorial for David T. Warren (aka. Flamo LaGrande, R.J. Mololopozy) at Playland Not At The Beach. Warren was a founding member of the San Francisco Suicide Club (a secret society that preceded the Cacophony Society which in turn

This piece features members of our community and extended family who have passed away since last year's burn. Inspired by the efforts of the Memorial Plaque that is placed in the Temple prior to its immolation as well as that of Temple itself, this video is a celebration the lives of the people we love. It is available for viewing in HD format on Vimeo.My PeopleThe night is beautiful,So the faces of

I'm creating a virtual temple for 2009 dedicated to those lost since last year's burn. It will be made into video and is intended for members of the community including their friends and family (and their pets, too).What I need to make this video is photos from your loved one. More information about that, so just keep reading....Whomever has lost somebody this year and is taking their memory to memorialize

Dammitina was a Showdog. The dog of a Showman. We did it together. All of it. This is her curtain. -- Chicken John

It was quite a shock to discover last night on Tribe that we lost another member of our community to suicide. Her playa name was Sunshine Allthetime and she was a huge supporter of BURNcast. The details are sketchy but there is a discussion on Tribe that may shed more information as the conversation unfolds.

Free TV Show from UstreamTonight in Black Rock City the temple will be burned to honor those in the community who have passed on. This night is one of remembrance, reflection and grace.At the same time participants convene for the temple burn on the playa, members of the burner community in Los Angeles meet at a private party to join them in spirit. This livestream is from this party.Starting now (see

Otto Schutt It is with a sad and heavy heart in which I blog that my dear friend, Otto Schutt, passed away earlier this week from complications resulting from colon cancer. He was only 40 years old.Otto's motto, and one that I will always cherish was: Give Thanks. He said those words when I first met him. He said those words when I saw him last.Otto believed in having developing an attitude of gratefulness.

Steven "Scribe" Jones of the San Francisco Bay Guardian blogs this news about the recent and unexpected passing of El Circo's Tiffa Novoa.