Remembering Bill Liebowitz

LA CityBeat eulogizes Bill Liebowitz, the legendary owner of Golden Apple Comics who died Oct. 27 at age 63:

Standing 6-foot-5 and relentlessly, enthusiastically opinionated, Liebowitz was such a larger-than-life figure that he and the store were immortalized in several comic books, notably an Archie series that featured a cameo by his pal, record producer Phil Spector, who characterized Bill as a "gentle giant, who I'll miss with all my heart."

He took great pains to make the store friendly to kids and "outsiders," so, along with the racks of comic and non-comic books, graphic novels, DVDs, action figures, and ephemera, there was always music playing.

An in-store tribute will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at the Golden Apple at 7711 Melrose Ave.