GEOFF MILLER
My husband Geoff Miller passed away at home Saturday evening, April 16, 2011, peacefully in my arms, listening to his favorite Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Cole Porter. I held him so close we could have been dancing at the Savoy. I miss him terribly, but I’m so blessed our parting could be so serene, so loving.
There are wonderful tributes online and appearing in print.
Thank you for your kind and wonderful messages of condolence. Geoff was a gentle, generous man who touched so many people.
Geoff was born August 1, 1936, the son of Edward Miller, a businessman, and Rosemary Conlon Miller, a porcelain artist, who kept a shop on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. He attended local schools, including Good Shepherd, Loyola High School and UCLA, where he earned his Master’s Degree in Journalism.
While doing graduate work at UCLA in 1959, Geoff began developing a format for a city magazine. In 1960, at age 24, Geoff teamed with David Brown, an ad executive, to launch LosAngeles. For the first few issues, the two served as the magazine’s sole staff. Los Angeles became the first modern city magazine in a major market, preceding New York magazine by eight years. Geoff served as Editor of the magazine until he was appointed Publisher in 1990. The magazine, which ran to nearly 600 pages in its heyday, was known for its celebrity covers, innovative Best of… features and special weekend guides devoted to dining and travel. Geoff was often cited as the editor of a city magazine that told you how to get out of town.
During the period of 1974 -1990, LosAngeles magazine’s circulation grew from 58,000 to a high of 172,000, making it one of the best-read and most successful magazines of its type in the country. It consistently ranked among the top regional magazines in the U.S. in both circulation and advertising pages.
Among its numerous awards and other recognitions, LosAngeles magazine has been cited for General Excellence by Columbia University’s National Magazine Awards, the periodical equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes. In 1994, it was awarded First Place for Magazine Design in the William Allen White Awards, administered by the University of Kansas School of Journalism. Geoff was also winner of the first Irwin R. Blacker Award from USC for Distinguished Contribution to Literature in Southern California.
Geoff announced his retirement in 1994, after nearly 35 years with LosAngeles, and continued to work in the publishing field as a consultant. He and his wife, actress Kathryn Leigh Scott, founded Prelude Productions to develop and produce a number of television documentaries and other film projects based on books published by Pomegranate Press, a publishing company founded by his wife in 1985.
Geoff was diagnosed with Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsey five years ago. In addition to his wife, Geoff is survived by stepchildren, Lori Selcer and Steve Selcer, by his first wife, Barbara, who died of Multiple Sclerosis in 1985. Geoff’s charities include All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, CurePSP Foundation and The Rosy McHargue Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides musical instruments for teenage jazz musicians in the Los Angeles area.
Geoff loved life, jazz, his wife Kathryn, his cat Daphne and his native California.
Tributes and Memorials
CurePSP (Progressive Supra-Nuclear Palsy)
Donations may be made online where there is the option of making a donation in memory of someone. Donations may also be made by mail making checks payable to CurePSP and indicating in memory of Geoff Miller and mailing to:
CurePSP
30 E. Padonia Road, Suite 201
Timonium, MD 21093
800/457-4777
Published Obituaries for Geoff Miller
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