RIP Jeffrey Solomon.  March 15, 1943- January 26,2024

Jeffrey Solomon was a larger than life Venetian.  A gentle giant, standing damn near 6’5″ with his shoes on, Jeffrey had an energy and excitement to match.  We at Venice Paparazzi met Jeffrey in 2006 or 2007 at at Danny’s Deli (now Winston House).  In 2008 we rolled out the red carpet and took photos at the opening party of his Venice Beach Walking Tours.  Jeffrey could be seen daily walking down the boardwalk, giving guided tours to groups, filling them in on all the details about Venice that only a local like Jeffrey would know.  Jeffrey was born in Westchester and lived in Venice for over 45 years. Sadly, he passed away in January of this year, after spending two years in a memory care facility.

Jeffrey married his wonderful wife Fran of 44 years in 1979 at what is now The Waterfront Venice on Ocean Front Walk.  Their  Venice love story  is the stuff  of legend.

After his passing, Fran worked tirelessly to get a bench on Ocean Front Walk in Jeffrey’s honor.  And, she did it! Congrats Fran.

About Jeffrey Solomon:

Jeffrey was born in Westchester, California in 1943. He attended Westchester High School and Upland College on a full basketball scholarship. In 1963, having been seen by a local scout, he was summoned by a Lakers coach Freddy Schaus to LA Sports Arena, the Lakers home arena, for a private tryout. He was hungry to experience life untethered. He rode the rails across the country, combined wheat and installed targets for US U-2 spy planes. He read a book on a plane “How To Deal Craps” and became a well-known Las Vegas croupier. The story of his alter ego, Chip Sullivan, lives on in his book, “Like It Had Eyes”. He moved back to SoCal in 1976. He met his wife, Fran Solomon, on a blind date on a Monday and they moved into together in the valley on Tuesday. He wanted to move back to Venice. He contacted a local real estate broker from Sail Realty and the condo on Navy Street was the first place he showed them. And that was that. Jeffrey was back home and Venice Beach remained his lifelong playground. He always referred to it as the “People’s Beach” because it belong to and reflected all of Los Angeles, with all of its diversity and inclusion. His love for Venice Beach is well-known in the community. Residents and beachgoers recall the days Jeffrey spent rollerskating on Oceanfront Walk, shooting hoops at the recreation center and playing volleyball on the sand at the base of Navy Street, his home for 50 years. He knew everyone and everyone knew him. With his welcoming smile and great knowledge of Venice and its history, he established Venice Beach Walking Tours in 2008, becoming a great resource of information and a steward of Venice Beach. His tours would travel along the stretches of the Venice Beach bike path, Ocean Front Walk and the Venice Canals. He was about everyone, which is one of the reasons why his legacy is so important to the entire Venice community. But most of all – Jeffrey brought people together throughout his life. He loved connecting people and building relationships that lasted decades. He is deeply missed by all who knew him.

View event coverage by Venice Paparazzi’s Edizen Stowell and AJ Vaatete!