Ron Palillo Tribute to be Held at the Triad, 10/3

A memorial celebration to honor the life and career of Ron Palillo, best known as Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter" has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 3, 2012. The 6pm tribute will take place at The Triad Theatre, which is located at 158 West 72nd Street. Palillo died in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.on August, 14, 2012 of a heart attack.

Some of the performers and speakers expected to appear will include: Anita Gillette, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Freddie 'Boom-Boom' Washington from "Kotter"). John Travolta has personally written a message to be read at the event.

After "Welcome Back, Kotter," Palillo appeared in various television series and films. In 1996, Palillo played himself in several episodes of the television sitcom "Ellen," where he played Audrey's love interest. He returned to New York in 1991, and played such roles as Mozart in "Amadeus" and regionally as George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", Arthur in Camelot and Nathan Detroit in "Guys and Dolls". Ron appeared on Broadway in 2008 in Broadway Backwards 4, the charity event for people with AIDS. Among his other New York City credits were a one-person show in 2000 where he portrayed Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in The Diary of Adolf Eichmann Off-Broadway.

Palillo was also a talented writer and artist. In 2005, his first full-length play, The Lost Boy, the true story of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie, premiered at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, New York and later played at the Queens Theatre in The Park. As an artist, Ron provided the art for two children's books: The Red Wings of Christmas and A Gift for the Contessa.

The Triad Tribute is being produced by Lawrence Leritz, Bob Dio and Elaine Devlin. More details to be announced soon.