Memorial services are being planned for Saturday at Precinct DTLA as word of the loss of Thor Stephens, owner, and operator of Precinct DTLA makes its way across town. Stephens, a leader in DTLA’s pink revolution and co-producer of DTLA PROUD Fest was well loved by all who knew him and will be sorely missed. A statement giving out via social media in the wee hours of the morning reads as follows:
“For those of you that have not yet heard, we lost Thor Stephens yesterday. The cause of his death is not yet known, but if there is any solace to be taken, it is that he at least appears to have gone peacefully, sleeping in his bed. The fact of this is as hard to fathom as it is for me to find myself even trying to write these words: He is gone. I love him greatly and am finding myself lost at every turn without him. I want to thank our friends and especially our staff for the outpouring of sympathy and the rush to help keep things afloat here at the bar in his sudden and unexpected absence. I literally could not have done this without you. While we are waiting for the path for final arrangements to be made, it has been suggested that we hold some sort of impromptu memorial celebrating his life. As brazenly proud as he was of his achievements in opening and operating Precinct, it is only fitting to celebrate him here. For those who can make it on such short notice, we will be joining together on Saturday afternoon February 24 from 3-7pm. This will be an informal gathering. Once we have a better idea of when he can be finally laid to rest, an official memorial celebration of this giant, vibrant soul will be offered. – Brian
DTLA PROUD posted their condolences as well stating, “Our hearts are heavy.. yesterday, we found out we lost a member of our DTLA PROUD family. In our eyes, Thor Stephens was the Godfather of the DTLA queer revolution. Thor and his husband built their bar @precinctdtla not for themselves, but for the community at large. For many people in the LGBTQ community, Precinct is a second home; a safe haven, a gathering space, a place of freedom & expression. His dedication to our community showed not only through his bar but also the work he did to bring the first DTLA PROUD Festival to life 3 years ago. Truth be told, DTLA PROUD would probably not exist today if it weren’t for Thor. Everything we have accomplished together up to this point was made possible by the path he laid out for us. But most of all, our hearts go out to his husband Brian McIntire and the family/bar staff he left behind.”
DTLA Weekly is sad to report the news of Thor Stephens passing away. The owner of Precinct…gone? His accomplishments here were many and his bar held the keys to happiness for a lot of people. DTLA didn’t really have a gay scene until he flew his rainbow-colored pirate flag and now all we have of him are memories. Although DTLA Weekly never got the chance to interview Stephens we did have the pleasure of conducting plenty of interviews with his entertainers and articles about DTLA Proud, DTLAs first major pride event. Our staff will always appreciate Thor for supporting the arts and his reminders that DTLA is for all of us to share. Thank you for what you brought to the DT! www.precinctdtla.com
