Scotty’s time was up Saturday, January 22 just after midnight. He was 67 years old.

Having lived in Venice since his return from the Vietnam War, Lawrence Scott was well-known around the Venice Bistro as Scotty. He could be seen most nights dancing to the groove, especially Sunday afternoons, when his favorite band, Peace Frog, entertains the crowd. Legend has it that during the last 13 years Scotty only missed two of their Bistro shows. On their third show without his presence, on the Sunday after his passing, the band gave a warm shout-out to Scotty, whose spirit undoubtedly was in attendance.

Scotty is survived by Lawrence Scott Jr., his biological son who lives in Texas, JJ Rogers, his step son, Joann Allen, his adopted daughter, and Sarah, his goddaughter. Standing by the impromptu memorial set up for him by the Bistro, Joann recalled how she ran away from home when she was 15 because she couldn’t take her mother’s beatings anymore and how Scotty took her in to live with him, his wife Phyllis and Phyllis’s biological son JJ, whom Scotty adopted and helped raise.

Scotty became homeless 15 years ago when his wife Phyllis passed away. He was given shelter in March of 2009 in Santa Monica, but continued to hang out in Venice on a daily basis.

Sarah described him as “the kindest, purest person I met in my entire life.” Jeanne, the Feather Goddess, referred to him as “my favorite dance partner at the Bistro.” Diane Butler remembers him as a constant figure on OFW between Dudley and Rose, where he greeted a-many on a typical Venice sunny day.

–Greta Cobar