L.A. pays tribute to Jonathan Gold with a ‘city of gold’

Staff Writer

July 28, 2018 9:15 PM PT

On what would have been Jonathan Gold’s 58th birthday, several buildings and monuments around Los Angeles were lit up in gold lights Saturday night to honor the late restaurant critic.

The Los Angeles Times paid tribute to Gold with a projection of his image on its new building in El Segundo as the sun set shortly before 8 p.m. After sundown, landmarks including Los Angeles City Hall, Union Station, the Wilshire Grand Center, the Broad, U.S. Bank Tower, Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain in Grand Park, the Natural History Museum, Pasadena City Hall, pylons at LAX and Pacific Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier were illuminated for the occasion.

Additional venues, including the Wiltern, the Ford Theatres, the Theatre at Ace Hotel, Chinatown Summer Nights and the Fairplex in Pomona also displayed messages and projections Saturday in Gold’s honor.

A public tribute event is being planned for downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 26. More details will be announced in the coming days.

Since Gold’s death on July 21 from pancreatic cancer, The Times has been flooded with messages from readers looking to donate to his family and support causes that were important to the paper’s legendary critic.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the following nonprofit organizations: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Heal the Bay or Al Otro Lado.

A GoFundMe campaign to help the Gold-Ochoa family with expenses and the children’s education has been set up here.

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Max Richter performs “Sleep” as people lie in cots during a performance in Grand Park on Saturday, while L.A. City Hall is illuminated in gold to honor the late Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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The Los Angeles Times pays tribute to Jonathan Gold with a projection of his image on its new building in El Segundo. Gold died July 21.

(Jay Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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The iconic silhouette of the late Times food critic Jonathan Gold is seen on the Pacific Park ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Car lights streak by in a long exposure as the Pylons at Los Angeles International Airport are illuminated gold in honor of the late Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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The Wilshire Grand Center is illuminated in gold lights to honor Jonathan Gold, who died July 21.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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People pass the Broad museum on Saturday night as it shines gold on what would have been Jonathan Gold’s 58th birthday.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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The U.S. Bank tower is among the many buildings illuminated Saturday to turn L.A. into a city of Gold in honor of the beloved food writer.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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The Natural History Museum honors the writer, who died of pancreatic cancer.

(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)

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The Wiltern Theatre displays a “R.I.P Jonathan Gold” message to honor the Times food critic.

(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)

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A food truck waits at an intersection in front of the Broad museum illuminated in gold lights to honor Times food critic Jonathan Gold.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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The moon rises behind a gold-tinted City Hall on Saturday.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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The city is lit in gold. “He ended up becoming like L.A.’s translator,” said longtime friend Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW’s “Good Food,” on which Jonathan Gold appeared weekly.

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)