Brad Burlingame, Long-Time Head of WeHo’s Visitor’s Bureau, Died Last Night

Brad Burlingame, for 18 years the head of West Hollywood’s visitor and tourism agency, died last night of pancreatic cancer.

Burlingame, 62, was named president and CEO of what now is Visit West Hollywood in 1997. Under his leadership, Visit WeHo has helped West Hollywood become a major travel destination for people as far away as Australia. Spending by tourists and visitors is a major source of revenue for local businesses. And the largest source of revenue for the City of West Hollywood is its hotel occupancy tax.

Burlingame is former chair of the California Travel Association and is a past president of the Western Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (WACVB). He has served on the boards of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and was an honorary board member of the West Hollywood Design District.

Under Burlingame, Visit WeHo has expanded its promotion of West Hollywood as a destination with forays into overseas markets like Australia, Brazil and England. Burlingame has been instrumental in promoting West Hollywood as the “Creative City” and as the young and vibrant center of the affluent west side of Los Angeles County.

Before he joined Visit West Hollywood, Burlingame was vice president of marketing and sales for the Japanese Assistance Network (JAN), a firm specializing in the Japan travel market.

“Brad’s imprint on the West Hollywood community is tremendous,” City Manager Paul Arevalo said in an email to city employees today. “His legacy will carry on for decades to follow. Please join me in keeping Brad and his family in your thoughts through the holiday season.”

While Burlingame was known for his enthusiastic promotion of West Hollywood and a constantly sunny disposition, those close to him also knew of his struggles to come to terms with the death of his brother, Charles “Chic” Burlingame III. Chic Burlingame was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, whose controls were hijacked by terrorists who forced the plane to crash into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. After his brother’s death, Brad Burlingame carried with him a leather pouch that contained a small piece of metal from the wreckage of his brother’s plane. Burlingame also did extensive research into the circumstances of the attack.

“We all knew Brad was a fighter — we had watched Brad mourn with dignity and grace in 2001,” Arevalo said. “Brad’s brother, Charles “Chic” Burlingame, was killed on 9/11; Chic was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. One of the things that Brad spoke of after his brother’s passing was their shared love of baseball — and in particular, their love of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.”

Burligame is survived by his wife, Diane McDavitt, and daughters Marta and Lora.