11:06 am PST 12/26/2020
in
Jackie Strause
The veteran entertainment industry journalist died on Saturday in Pasadena, California.
Dave McNary, a veteran film reporter for Variety, died on Saturday in Pasadena, California. He was 69 years old.
Variety reported that McNary – who covered the film industry as well as the desktop for more than 20 years – suffered a stroke and was hospitalized since December 19, according to his wife Sharon McNary.
Born David Nathan McNary in Berkeley, California, he embarked on a 40-year career in journalism after graduating from UCLA history. Before entering Variety in 1999, McNary worked for UPI, the Los Angeles Daily News and Pasadena Star-News, among others, covering the entertainment industry.
For three decades, he also hosted a stand-up comedy showcase on Sundays at Ice House in Pasadena, where he booked comics that followed careers in the industry.
“Dave leaves a lasting legacy. He has written about industry and labor relations for a generation and, although we loved to discuss with him, we consider him part of the family,” said David White, national executive director of SAG-AFTRA Variety. Gabrielle Carteris, president of SAG-AFTRA, added to the outlet: “Dave was a good man and his death is a loss. He was one of the few who really understood our industry and the changes he’s going through. He really cared about the people who work and entertainment work because it was more than just a story for him. His absence will make sense. “
He leaves his wife Sharon McNary, a veteran journalist and KPCC-FM correspondent; and sisters Nancy McNary Leach, Barbara McNary Spindler, Jane McNary O’Meara and Patti McNary.
The family asks that donations be made on behalf of McNary to the Pasadena Humane Society, with a request for conversion to a shelter that doesn’t kill, or the Daily Bruin Alumni Network for scholarships to help make journalism more inclusive.