Ted FreedMusician, promoter, local music supporter, real estate entrepreneur and overall kind soul Ted Freed passed away last night after losing his third bout with lymphoma. He was 51. 

Ted was always looking for the next new band – new local bands to manage, new national bands to bring to town – and he provided great managerial and promotional support to the bands he already represented. In fact, I met Ted back in May of ’05 when I was writing a story about his Clearwater-based music promotions company, Rising Jupiter, and Uphonia, the festival he was pretty much funding all on his own. We became fast friends after that, finding common ground in our mutual love of music and the desire to spread it ‘round.  

He conquered cancer twice and was good-humored throughout, confident that his positive attitude would help his health as much as the chemo treatments he was receiving at Moffit Cancer Center. Last November, Ted discovered that the cancer had returned in full force. In order to prepare for a stem cell transplant, Ted underwent an aggressive series of chemo treatments. Unfortunately, the tumors that riddled his body didn’t shrink enough and he was too weak to endure a transplant, anyway. He was brought home and spent the majority of his last few weeks visiting with family and friends.

I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye, but I keep telling myself that he would’ve wanted me to remember him as I last saw him, smiling and happy and enjoying good vibrations at Skipper’s Smokehouse. 

He is survived by his wife Laura and his sons, Jared and Alec. 

The funeral will be held graveside this Friday, March 7, at Chapel Hill Memorial Park, 12905 Wild Acres Road, Largo. A benefit for Freed’s family to help them pay for his outstanding medical expenses will take place at Skipper’s Friday, March 21. Uncle John’s Band, COPE, Rob Pieniak (formerly of Buffalo Strange), and Christee Lennee perform; admission is $10.

This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2008.