COSTA RICA — The touring world mourns the loss of popular stage manager/lighting tech Tom “Bis” Kelleher. He passed away at his “sunny place,” his Costa Rica home, on Dec. 14. Preliminary reports mention the cause of death as a heart attack, possibly induced by a ruptured hernia.
Born on Aug. 4, 1958 to Tom Kelleher and Barb Kelleher, he was raised in the Buffalo, NY area. His pursuit of music brought him to the West Coast where he lived and played in bands in his early 20’s. He continued to play different gigs with other bands in America throughout his life, releasing a new punk rock album with Caustic Cause last year.
While living in LA in the early 80’s, Bis worked with several bands and lighting vendors as he started a career that spanned more than 30 years on the road. His constant smile and happy demeanor were evident throughout his career. He was employed as a freelance lighting technician by Showlites, Light and Sound Design, Morpheus Lites, PRG, and others. His work varied from being the production manager for Daft Punk to stage manager for Creed to carpenter for Madonna to lighting team member on many huge festivals last year.
Bis resided in the Lake Tahoe area for the last 30 years. An accomplished skier, he was often found pounding the bumps on the face at Heavenly Valley ski resort when not on tour. In the late 90’s, he took up surfing to the point that he shared his time off between surfing in his new Jaco, Costa Rica home and skiing in Tahoe. Whenever he wasn’t on the road, he was happiest doing one or the other, always with a big smile on his face.
He is survived by his mother, Barb Walsh, brother Michael Kelleher, sister Peg Kelleher and sister Karen Mcadam. A formal service with the family will be held after the holidays. A memorial get together is planned for his Lake Tahoe friends in February. All cards and flowers can be sent care of his mom, who was known to many in the touring world as “Ma Bis.” Address below.
