BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Alex Cooley didn’t want a funeral, so instead, his life will be celebrated with a free public gathering in January.
Cooley, the fabled Atlanta-based concert promoter who died Dec. 1 at age 75 , will be memorialized at The Tabernacle at 7 p.m. Jan. 9.
The effort is being organized by Cooley's longtime friend and former business partner, Peter Conlon, president of Live Nation Atlanta, and Andrew Hingley, talent buyer at Eddie's Attic, which Cooley purchased with partner Dave Mattingly in 2011.
“He loved The Tabernacle,” Conlon said. “(The venue) has a good feel to it. It fits the event.”
Details are still being processed, but the expectation is that musical guests will be present to pay tribute, while others will send video testimonials.
Friends and colleagues will likely take the mic to share Cooley stories, of which there are legion.
Conlon expects that he’ll have some words to share about his close comrade.
“I think I have a perspective on what Alex did for Atlanta, the fights we had to fight to get things done,” Conlon said. “It wasn’t always about money with Alex. It was about the show and bringing the event to Atlanta.”
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