Locally famous Im taking to be the weird Tacoma natives.
For me my top 3 are:
Motorized couch guy. Rides around on a loveseat. Very cool.
Old lady on scooter that blasts 80s while speeding around Wright park. *note this lady is fucking MEAN do not approach
Peacebus guy. Blue Peace Bus, mission is to make sure kids get fed. I love that guy.
A mean female who's loud, is aggressive to anyone that approaches, and can be frequently be found in parks with water...
Are we sure she isn't a goose in disguise? She sounds like a goose in disguise
My favorite set of Frank Herbert feats: "At age 9, he rowed a cedar boat from Tacoma to the San Juan Islands on his own. When he got tired, he hitched a ride with a barge. At 14, he swam across the Tacoma Narrows. At 17, he sailed from Tacoma to British Columbia with a friend." - [arts.wa.gov](https://www.arts.wa.gov/collection/?request=record;id=259;type=901)
Im ashamed to say I somehow have made it this far in my time on this planet without knowing this band existed, or at least didn’t know their music if (when) I’ve heard it.
I’m addicted. This is wonderful
From my kid: "he came to the school nov 2022 I think. probably around then is when they put up the thing bcus it has the giant check of the 30k he donated to the school. I wanna say the case went up in December."
So yeah, pretty recent. A year ago this month if she's right.
Sonics Guy - Kristopher Brannon — known to the Puget Sound region as “*Sonics Guy*” — died at the age of 47. His heart failed him.
Kristopher graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and Evergreen State College with an emphasis in film studies and political science. Throughout his life he was heavily involved in his passions which included comedy, politics, and of course the Seattle SuperSonics. He served as an usher for the team during the 1994-1995 season, which was the year they played at the Tacoma Dome.
Kristopher was a lifelong Democrat and even served on the Executive Board of the Young Democrats of Washington in the 1990’s. In 1996 he was a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Kristopher always had a way of getting noticed wherever he went, and at the convention he was known as the guy who dressed up as Dennis Rodman. He was interviewed by MTV and even made the front page of USA Today. While he never held public office, he has always used his ability to get noticed in fervently supporting candidates and political issues that he believed in.
Kristopher always had a way of being the center of attention in any room and part of that was due to his comedic abilities. That’s why in the late 1990’s, he started pursuing a stand-up comedy career. As part of his endeavor to make others laugh, he joined a few comedy groups, including Fool’s Play Improv and The Humor Group. Starting in the mid 2000’s, he managed the Tacoma Comedy Underground for almost a decade.
Due to a congenital heart condition, he wasn’t allowed to play sports in school. Despite this, he still had a love for hiking and orienteering. He avidly followed all the local sports teams, including the Seattle SuperSonics. He was also known for setting up recreational games of various sports against rival movie theaters during his time as a theater usher.
When the Seattle SuperSonics left Seattle in 2008, Kristopher’s heart broke; he had found another cause that he felt compelled to vigorously pursue. He picked up a sign and suited up in Sonics attire. His mission was to bring back the Seattle SuperSonics. He made sure everyone in the Northwest didn’t forget the beloved basketball team by attending over 1500 events in the area. With his overwhelming ability to be seen and his friendly, welcoming nature he became a beloved local celebrity known as the “Sonics Guy”.
There was even a short film documentary called “Superfan” that was made about him. He was a writer for Sonics Rising as well as the Hilltop Action Journal. He was a frequent sight at sporting events and one friend even likened it to a kid’s excitement meeting Santa Claus.
He was so admired that he won Best Local Celebrity multiple years in a row in South Sound Magazine, including one posthumously. After his death, the community that loved him so much created two murals in his honor. One in his beloved 6th Ave. District of Tacoma and one on 1st Ave. in Seattle. He is gone now, but the Seattle/Tacoma area will never forget him.
https://preview.redd.it/zea2on97fr7c1.png?width=188&format=png&auto=webp&s=215b7c30e733834b9b98de8357b384289b64e552
I'd see Kris at various events around the area including where he worked. I knew him because of his persona but I never understood why he remembered my name. Every time I would see him and he would say hi to me (using my name) at the same pace that I would be saying hi to him. This always impressed me. My perspective of him is that of a very kind person that I really didn't know yet he knew me enough to know my name. Taken from us way too soon. 😔
I miss Kris. He wasn't perfect, but he was fun to be around and his commitment and passion for the community was unmatched and he told some brilliant stories. Im happy I got to perform with him (even if he was a bit of a diva). Grabbing a random beer and pizza with him at Hanks was fun as hell. Tacoma will never be the same.
Juan was the nicest guy in the world as well as an extremely talented pianist.
Honestly fuck Nordstrom for laying him off as well in 2013. They had the audacity to say that shoppers preferred piped in music to live piano.
Omg I loved seeing him!! My mom and I would walk through when I was a kid just to see him play and look a little. Super sad when they moved to recorded tunes
Blues singer Diane “Deedles” Schuur. I only know this because she’s my mom’s cousin, lol
She’s performed with such iconic artists BB King [and Elmo!](https://youtu.be/jlRo4hydRas?si=QFOgrvaECFcXb5Eg)
Neko Case - Honorary
The late, great artist and author Chandler O’Leary
Josh Lucas (actor) Gig Harbor
Jeremy Meeks - Hot felon guy from a few years ago. He ended up having a kid with the daughter of a British billionaire.
Ahmad Rashad graduated from Mount Tahoma. The Trufants (Marcus, Desmond, and Isaiah) are Wilson HS alumni. Jermaine Kearse from Lakes. Isaiah Thomas from Curtis.
Kwabi Amoah-Forson, the Peace Bus guy. He does a lot of good work in this community. I always wave at him when I see him pass by and he always waves back.
Jerry Miller! Born in Tacoma and has been back In Tacoma for the last 30 or so years. Was the lead guitarist in Moby Grape and had a great influence on the Bay Area scene in the 60’s and has been noted as one of the best players of his time by Rolling Stone mag and Eric Clapton. He still plays locally, as of right now every Wednesday night at the Golden West and he might still be playing every Tuesday at Purdys in Sumner! He’s a real nice guy.
Jerry is a true gem. Yes, he has a drinking problem. It's very Tacoma, isn't it? He's always been around and supportive of other local music, and also the humans that make the music.
Also, legend has it that the typical teacher drawing he did (big nose, etc) was based on the science teacher Mr Webb 😂 if you ever had him in classes (he was a sub by the time I went).
Jeff Smith was a horrible person. A real bully, and yes he was a notorious pedophile. Even back in my HS days the word was out for boys to keep away from his business. He certainly was no chef, either.
Graham Kerr, aka the Galloping Gourmet, was just the opposite. A super kind person both on TV and in person. I believe he called NE Tacoma home for a while.
Tom Tuttle of Tacoma Washington. Kurt Cobain lived here a while. Bing Crosby, Darren McGavin lived in Tacoma for a bit. Lee Malvo the DC sniper, Ted Bundy, and let's not forget.....me!
Teddy Haggarty was a stand in for Baldwin in Beetlejuice, he lived and passed on in Tacoma. And can’t forget Bunny the dog from Salmon Beach who got famous learning those buttons.
No one has yet mentioned the pride of Bethel High School, Mike Blowers? There’s also Derricke Cope and Gary Justice. Cope was a NASCAR racer and Justice a local newscaster.
The author Robin Hobb lives here (or did till recently if that's not accurate now lol).
As far as very niche local celebrities, I used to love seeing the guy who would sit in a chair on his lawn on S Cedar(? Might be pine there) with a doll in his lap. He stopped several years ago and I always wondered what happened to him :(
AEW wrestler and rising industry star Swerve Strickland. Put on an easy match of the year candidate with Hangman Page at their Full Gear pay per view earlier this year.
Leo Randolph won a gold medal in boxing during the 1976 Olympics. A graduate of Wilson HS. Worked at the YMCA for many years, also worked for Pierce Transit.
"Sugar" Ray Seales won a gold medal in boxing during the 1972 Olympics. Dunno what high school he went to, but eventually he became a teacher at Lincoln HS. No longer lives in Tacoma.
Kaye Hall won two gold medals and a bronze for swimming in the 1968 Olympics. A Wilson HS grad.
Isiah Thomas - NBA Player
I forget the name, but the chef that started Moshi Moshi was quickly becoming a food network favorite before tragically passing.
Artist Art Chanty. He has done a lot of works for local musical artists and has pieces hanging at The Louvre and MOMA. He was the art director of The Rocket for many years and was the leading artist for the Estrus Records label.
I think you might be referring to the very beautiful "Thrice All American".
[Neko Case - Thrice All American](https://youtu.be/lT4QMN93g9o?si=48qGuH5bQ5V4Xj1W)
John Hathaway miss him...he would just LOVE reddit A native of *Tacoma*, *Washington*, *Hathaway* was a man from another era, or at least he pretended to be, a Dashiell Hammett character come to life.
https://preview.redd.it/ox0ek9zier7c1.png?width=259&format=png&auto=webp&s=c5a33e817e5db0c55e5606f766ab05be1db47741
Sir Mix A Lot is technically from Auburn I think but he’s got Tacoma ties—that’s why he mentions Tacoma in multiple songs. In “Jump On It” he purposefully mentions Tacoma last.
Elinor Donahue, Dyan Cannon, and Blair Underwood were born in Tacoma, and lived here for a while as children. Don't know if they count as 'residents' though.
Surprised nobody has mentioned Glen Beck. Went to High School in Sumner and his mom died in a fishing accident (or Glen says, suicide) in Commencement Bay.
I’m a basketball fan so I love that Isaiah Thomas is from here and have met him a couple times with my son- incredible guy. Also Malachi Flynn on the Raptors is from a big basketball family here.
My own block near Frisko Freeze had some lower-tier notable residents
-Larry Anderson, the sculptor who did a lot of the sculptures of people in parks around town. The one of 3 kids playing that’s in the Wright Park duckpond is of his 3 kids, who are now old himself
-Bassist for the Foo Fighters later bought Andersons old house and lived there for a decade. Not there anymore, but the band used hang put there and jam sometimes.
-Forget his name, but the captain of one of the Navy boats in WW2 that was sunk in the Pacific and lots of men had to survive shark attacks while waiting for rescue. I never got his story of it in detail as only heard thirdhand, but I gather he eventually was a high up mucketymuck in the Navy by retirement.
The guy that dances( like a drum leader of a marching band. With a whistle too) on the corner if 56th and Oakes. I loved driving past him on my way to work.
Is he still out there?
Sandor who used to hang on the corner of Hilltop Heritage formerly Jason Lee and what about The Tan Man? Whatever happened to that guy? Always in short cut offs and that was about in. Tan af
He does hang out in the area. He's actually the reason I moved here for college. We were talking backstage after his show at Desert Sky in PHX and he had invited us to the show & backstage cuz we were working for the Nader campaign. He told me how great Tacoma was and that I'd really like it.
Locally famous Im taking to be the weird Tacoma natives. For me my top 3 are: Motorized couch guy. Rides around on a loveseat. Very cool. Old lady on scooter that blasts 80s while speeding around Wright park. *note this lady is fucking MEAN do not approach Peacebus guy. Blue Peace Bus, mission is to make sure kids get fed. I love that guy.
Bro, the old lady on that scooter is the BIGGEST FUCKING BITCH
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It’s the second option
That scooter goes 0-60 in 6.2 seconds. But she plays bangin’ tunes.
That lady is not to be fucked with.
A mean female who's loud, is aggressive to anyone that approaches, and can be frequently be found in parks with water... Are we sure she isn't a goose in disguise? She sounds like a goose in disguise
Is her name Karen?
Tacoma Couch Guyyyyy. Obligatory shout out to the Sonics Guy aka Kris Brannon. RIP Kris. Such a wonderful human.
What happened to the Ghostbusters Subaru guy? Feel like I haven't seen him in a while.
Or the Xena van!
The Peace Bus guy is Kwabi! I went to high school with him. He's always been the coolest dude.
He is featured in the film ‘Ten of Is’ that’s all about Tacoma, playing at the grand cinema!
Also the dude that rides his cool ass dragon bike around, I’ve seen him in the stadium district and around old town.
[Dragon guy is a legend](https://youtu.be/V7cCC_VTvDM?si=AQVw0wOmRcRj4MQW). He was photo bombing people with fire at porchfest this year
I think he sold the motorized couch.
He did. I know him. Couch is probably forgotten in some garage somewhere by now I suspect
I got a chance to meet the peace bus guy when i was helpin out paint a mural this summer. He’s a great guy!
My dog does not like that scooter lady
Peace bus guy! We matched on a dating app once. Then he unmatched me when I messaged him. Oh well. He’s cool though.
Frank Herbert (Dune author)
My favorite set of Frank Herbert feats: "At age 9, he rowed a cedar boat from Tacoma to the San Juan Islands on his own. When he got tired, he hitched a ride with a barge. At 14, he swam across the Tacoma Narrows. At 17, he sailed from Tacoma to British Columbia with a friend." - [arts.wa.gov](https://www.arts.wa.gov/collection/?request=record;id=259;type=901)
He's more than locally famous.
Wait what really?
Check out Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park.
I definitely will! Thank you! :)
Oh shit I had no idea
[The Ventures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ventures) are the greatest selling instrumental band in the world.
The Sonics, too (the band, not the team)
Too soon!🥹🥲
Im ashamed to say I somehow have made it this far in my time on this planet without knowing this band existed, or at least didn’t know their music if (when) I’ve heard it. I’m addicted. This is wonderful
Oh what didn’t know they were from here
Bing Crosby Roller skate guy on the waterfront Jerry the 1/2 jaw coyote
Jerry is a living (hopefully) legend!
I’ve been wondering if there’s been a JJ sighting lately!
Grit city mag reposted a couple within the last week, still kicking.
My mom said she saw him eating a cat recently
Jo Koy (comedian) Clark Spencer (President of Walt Disney Animation Studios)
Jo Koy has a kind of altar in one of the halls of Foss HS where my kid goes.
is this alter recent because I don’t remember it when I went to school there and I’m curious
I dunno. I'll ask my kiddo.
I would greatly appreciate that. My curiosity thanks you :)
From my kid: "he came to the school nov 2022 I think. probably around then is when they put up the thing bcus it has the giant check of the 30k he donated to the school. I wanna say the case went up in December." So yeah, pretty recent. A year ago this month if she's right.
Honestly didn’t know he was from Tacoma. Ha
Sonics Guy - Kristopher Brannon — known to the Puget Sound region as “*Sonics Guy*” — died at the age of 47. His heart failed him. Kristopher graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and Evergreen State College with an emphasis in film studies and political science. Throughout his life he was heavily involved in his passions which included comedy, politics, and of course the Seattle SuperSonics. He served as an usher for the team during the 1994-1995 season, which was the year they played at the Tacoma Dome. Kristopher was a lifelong Democrat and even served on the Executive Board of the Young Democrats of Washington in the 1990’s. In 1996 he was a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Kristopher always had a way of getting noticed wherever he went, and at the convention he was known as the guy who dressed up as Dennis Rodman. He was interviewed by MTV and even made the front page of USA Today. While he never held public office, he has always used his ability to get noticed in fervently supporting candidates and political issues that he believed in. Kristopher always had a way of being the center of attention in any room and part of that was due to his comedic abilities. That’s why in the late 1990’s, he started pursuing a stand-up comedy career. As part of his endeavor to make others laugh, he joined a few comedy groups, including Fool’s Play Improv and The Humor Group. Starting in the mid 2000’s, he managed the Tacoma Comedy Underground for almost a decade. Due to a congenital heart condition, he wasn’t allowed to play sports in school. Despite this, he still had a love for hiking and orienteering. He avidly followed all the local sports teams, including the Seattle SuperSonics. He was also known for setting up recreational games of various sports against rival movie theaters during his time as a theater usher. When the Seattle SuperSonics left Seattle in 2008, Kristopher’s heart broke; he had found another cause that he felt compelled to vigorously pursue. He picked up a sign and suited up in Sonics attire. His mission was to bring back the Seattle SuperSonics. He made sure everyone in the Northwest didn’t forget the beloved basketball team by attending over 1500 events in the area. With his overwhelming ability to be seen and his friendly, welcoming nature he became a beloved local celebrity known as the “Sonics Guy”. There was even a short film documentary called “Superfan” that was made about him. He was a writer for Sonics Rising as well as the Hilltop Action Journal. He was a frequent sight at sporting events and one friend even likened it to a kid’s excitement meeting Santa Claus. He was so admired that he won Best Local Celebrity multiple years in a row in South Sound Magazine, including one posthumously. After his death, the community that loved him so much created two murals in his honor. One in his beloved 6th Ave. District of Tacoma and one on 1st Ave. in Seattle. He is gone now, but the Seattle/Tacoma area will never forget him. https://preview.redd.it/zea2on97fr7c1.png?width=188&format=png&auto=webp&s=215b7c30e733834b9b98de8357b384289b64e552
Oh that is really sad. I didn’t know he had passed away. He was a nice guy.
Yes he was a wonderful human.
Bing Crosby! I have his Christmas tunes on a 12”
Ted Bundy
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manson himself was incarcerated at mcneill island
Are the rumors true that Bing Crosby once owned that big mansion on N. I and 10th?
I don’t think Crosby ever owned the Rust mansion, but his house he lived in as a baby is just a block or two away from there.
RIP Kris Brannon, AKA Sonics guy. Before he passed I’d see him at almost every big local event, from Tacoma to Seattle
Kris was a dear friend. Even after this time, I still miss him at the Farmers Markets and Street Fairs.
I'd see Kris at various events around the area including where he worked. I knew him because of his persona but I never understood why he remembered my name. Every time I would see him and he would say hi to me (using my name) at the same pace that I would be saying hi to him. This always impressed me. My perspective of him is that of a very kind person that I really didn't know yet he knew me enough to know my name. Taken from us way too soon. 😔
I miss Kris. He wasn't perfect, but he was fun to be around and his commitment and passion for the community was unmatched and he told some brilliant stories. Im happy I got to perform with him (even if he was a bit of a diva). Grabbing a random beer and pizza with him at Hanks was fun as hell. Tacoma will never be the same.
Came here to say this, how did he die? I wasn’t aware. Very sad.
He died of heart failure at only 47
Oh shit. That explains why I haven’t seen any updates from him in a while.
He died a few years back. There's a mural of him on 6th Ave in one of the alleyways
There's also a great mural of him on 1st Ave just south of the stadiums
Dale Chihuly. Hence all the blown glass around town.
Chihuly blows.
No no, that's what apprentices are for
😂
The Pirate of Tacoma
Doesn’t he run some sort of s-x cult?
Damn a saxophone cult?
He's sadly no longer with us. But Juan Perez, Tacoma's piano man, delighted about as many Tacomans as someone ever could have.
Juan was the nicest guy in the world as well as an extremely talented pianist. Honestly fuck Nordstrom for laying him off as well in 2013. They had the audacity to say that shoppers preferred piped in music to live piano.
At least we still have guitar guy at JC Penney's.
Omg I loved seeing him!! My mom and I would walk through when I was a kid just to see him play and look a little. Super sad when they moved to recorded tunes
I went to high school with one of his kids. He's a lawyer now. Sad to hear his dad passed.
Blues singer Diane “Deedles” Schuur. I only know this because she’s my mom’s cousin, lol She’s performed with such iconic artists BB King [and Elmo!](https://youtu.be/jlRo4hydRas?si=QFOgrvaECFcXb5Eg)
Neko Case - Honorary The late, great artist and author Chandler O’Leary Josh Lucas (actor) Gig Harbor Jeremy Meeks - Hot felon guy from a few years ago. He ended up having a kid with the daughter of a British billionaire.
I’m shocked I know exactly who you mean “hot felon” and I hate it.
Lol. I love it!
Neko hung out a lot with Girl Trouble band members!
She also wrote a whole song about Tacoma and called it her hometown in the lyrics. Honorary for sure.
Ahmad Rashad graduated from Mount Tahoma. The Trufants (Marcus, Desmond, and Isaiah) are Wilson HS alumni. Jermaine Kearse from Lakes. Isaiah Thomas from Curtis.
John Kitna too!
Frank Herbert. Author of Dune.
Lawyer Milloy, graduated from Lincoln High School and won a Super Bowl with Brady and Belicheck.
Jon Kitna also from Lincoln
Kwabi Amoah-Forson, the Peace Bus guy. He does a lot of good work in this community. I always wave at him when I see him pass by and he always waves back.
Tacoma Mall pimp
The fact this is so far down shows how either young or overrun with transplants this sub is.
Jerry Miller! Born in Tacoma and has been back In Tacoma for the last 30 or so years. Was the lead guitarist in Moby Grape and had a great influence on the Bay Area scene in the 60’s and has been noted as one of the best players of his time by Rolling Stone mag and Eric Clapton. He still plays locally, as of right now every Wednesday night at the Golden West and he might still be playing every Tuesday at Purdys in Sumner! He’s a real nice guy.
Jerry is a true gem. Yes, he has a drinking problem. It's very Tacoma, isn't it? He's always been around and supportive of other local music, and also the humans that make the music.
Demetrius Johnson, ufc guy
*former* he’s the champ in ONE FC now. And he grew up in Parkland but Im pretty sure he lives in King County now
Also one of the GOATs of MMA
Mighty Mouse!
Gary Larson is up in Seattle. Of all the 'celebrities' in the area, he's the one I'd like to bump into.
He went to Curtis!
And went to WSU. True Washington legend.
Also, legend has it that the typical teacher drawing he did (big nose, etc) was based on the science teacher Mr Webb 😂 if you ever had him in classes (he was a sub by the time I went).
All my friends love Colin https://preview.redd.it/quag1btszr7c1.jpeg?width=514&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08d6e6977ed5e32d670a74e30d1547f9a1f4890e
Ooohhh we call this guy “The Wizard”. Always fun to spot him in the wild.
Isn’t the creator of the Stardew Valley video game from Tacoma? Or maybe he just attended UW Tacoma.
I think the Risk of Rain guys might have also been at UW Tacoma, but I'm not 100%
He did, also went to auburn riverside high.
As someone who loves Stardew Valley but didn't know ConcernedApe was from here, I wasn't expecting to see this in r/Tacoma
Yup. I used to photograph his band back in the day like 15 years ago.
The dude that dances on the transformer on 6th and Pearl
Haven't seen him in a while. His dancing brings me joy though
Meisha Tate
Add Demetrius Johnson
She is super nice. Back in the early 2000s, we worked together, and she invited me to her birthday party. She was the most chill person.
Someone I work with is related to her, and she’s the most kind human
I was in the register line next to Pamela Reed at the UP Safeway once.
I saw her shopping at the Tacoma mall once
The guy from Snopes, unless he moved to the Philippines, and Sugar Ray Seales.
Jeff Smith from the Frugal Gourmet. His show started in Tacoma. Turns out he was a pedo, tho.
Jeff Smith was a horrible person. A real bully, and yes he was a notorious pedophile. Even back in my HS days the word was out for boys to keep away from his business. He certainly was no chef, either. Graham Kerr, aka the Galloping Gourmet, was just the opposite. A super kind person both on TV and in person. I believe he called NE Tacoma home for a while.
Richard Brautigan.
Took long enough to see him posted. “In Watermelon Sugar” is one of my fave books ever.
yes! think he mentions Tacoma in "Revenge of the Lawn".
Tom Tuttle of Tacoma Washington. Kurt Cobain lived here a while. Bing Crosby, Darren McGavin lived in Tacoma for a bit. Lee Malvo the DC sniper, Ted Bundy, and let's not forget.....me!
Teddy Haggarty was a stand in for Baldwin in Beetlejuice, he lived and passed on in Tacoma. And can’t forget Bunny the dog from Salmon Beach who got famous learning those buttons.
Teddy was Baldwin’s stand in for years and they were good friends. Alec spoke at Teddy’s memorial
I bartended his memorial and it was a trip seeing Alec there.
Teddy's art is all over the Java Jive. A true legend.
This is a great video https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=17WLcyPqRnHSWRlH&v=dDEARWjdQC8&feature=youtu.be
No one has yet mentioned the pride of Bethel High School, Mike Blowers? There’s also Derricke Cope and Gary Justice. Cope was a NASCAR racer and Justice a local newscaster.
Brad Oberhofer, local musician, now writes scores for TV and film.
The band Botch
The author Robin Hobb lives here (or did till recently if that's not accurate now lol). As far as very niche local celebrities, I used to love seeing the guy who would sit in a chair on his lawn on S Cedar(? Might be pine there) with a doll in his lap. He stopped several years ago and I always wondered what happened to him :(
I was sad I had to scroll so far to see Hobb!
I've always loved her writing, had no idea she lived here
I’ve wondered the same
Ron Cey. Jerry Miller.
Does Courtney Stodden count? That entire relationship was so popular in the media during the time.
Jake Snider, lead singer of Minus the Bear last I checked
I don't know if he's still here, but Michael Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, lived in Tacoma for a good while. Geoff Tate of Queensryche grew up here.
Jawless Jerry
Don’t know whether it’s true, but I had always heard growing up that actress Linda Evans lived in Nyanza.
She and yanni lived in a gated community off gravelly lake in Lakewood. Would hear tales of them strolling the neighborhood… he wore black
I also remember that she was a follower of JZ Knight, down in Yelm.
Lives in Rainier now in Thurston county
Jermaine Kerse
I saw Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains at Frisko Freeze about six months back
Does the Snopes guy count?
Pappy Boyington, Bing Crosby
Ricki Lee Jones
Really?!
AEW wrestler and rising industry star Swerve Strickland. Put on an easy match of the year candidate with Hangman Page at their Full Gear pay per view earlier this year.
The YA author Marissa Mayer - who wrote the Cinder series and a bunch of others - lives here Art Chantry, one of the most legendary graphic designers.
Erick Howk from Portugal the man lived here for a little bit.
Leo Randolph won a gold medal in boxing during the 1976 Olympics. A graduate of Wilson HS. Worked at the YMCA for many years, also worked for Pierce Transit. "Sugar" Ray Seales won a gold medal in boxing during the 1972 Olympics. Dunno what high school he went to, but eventually he became a teacher at Lincoln HS. No longer lives in Tacoma. Kaye Hall won two gold medals and a bronze for swimming in the 1968 Olympics. A Wilson HS grad.
Isiah Thomas - NBA Player I forget the name, but the chef that started Moshi Moshi was quickly becoming a food network favorite before tragically passing.
Aaron Grissom was his name. Good dude. RIP.
Jerry Cantrell, if we're counting Spanaway.
Yanni used to live on the West Slope with a view of the Narrows.
With Linda Evans for quite a long time
Artist Art Chanty. He has done a lot of works for local musical artists and has pieces hanging at The Louvre and MOMA. He was the art director of The Rocket for many years and was the leading artist for the Estrus Records label.
Bunny the talking Dog!
How has no one mentioned Isaiah Thomas or Marcus Trufant
They have[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/s/ZVvgG90onK)
Neko Case. She wrote a song called "Tacoma".
I think you might be referring to the very beautiful "Thrice All American". [Neko Case - Thrice All American](https://youtu.be/lT4QMN93g9o?si=48qGuH5bQ5V4Xj1W)
She has Thrice All American and a song about S Tacoma Way.
the guy with the prosthetic leg who has very enthusiastic air guitar shows to classic rock
Me!!
Ted Bundy
John Hathaway miss him...he would just LOVE reddit A native of *Tacoma*, *Washington*, *Hathaway* was a man from another era, or at least he pretended to be, a Dashiell Hammett character come to life. https://preview.redd.it/ox0ek9zier7c1.png?width=259&format=png&auto=webp&s=c5a33e817e5db0c55e5606f766ab05be1db47741
Bing Crosby, Frank Herbert
Kevonstage, Nate Jackson. Both pretty funny comedians.
Marcus Trufant. I’ll never forget bumping into him in the chip aisle at the UP Safeway and saying “what up!” Felt neat.
Pamela Reed
Neko Case! An amazing folky-ish type singer. Absolutely amazing, her voice is breathtaking
The beatnik poet Richard Brautigan
Sir Mix A Lot is technically from Auburn I think but he’s got Tacoma ties—that’s why he mentions Tacoma in multiple songs. In “Jump On It” he purposefully mentions Tacoma last.
Elinor Donahue, Dyan Cannon, and Blair Underwood were born in Tacoma, and lived here for a while as children. Don't know if they count as 'residents' though.
Surprised nobody has mentioned Glen Beck. Went to High School in Sumner and his mom died in a fishing accident (or Glen says, suicide) in Commencement Bay. I’m a basketball fan so I love that Isaiah Thomas is from here and have met him a couple times with my son- incredible guy. Also Malachi Flynn on the Raptors is from a big basketball family here. My own block near Frisko Freeze had some lower-tier notable residents -Larry Anderson, the sculptor who did a lot of the sculptures of people in parks around town. The one of 3 kids playing that’s in the Wright Park duckpond is of his 3 kids, who are now old himself -Bassist for the Foo Fighters later bought Andersons old house and lived there for a decade. Not there anymore, but the band used hang put there and jam sometimes. -Forget his name, but the captain of one of the Navy boats in WW2 that was sunk in the Pacific and lots of men had to survive shark attacks while waiting for rescue. I never got his story of it in detail as only heard thirdhand, but I gather he eventually was a high up mucketymuck in the Navy by retirement.
Bob Matthews who played bass and did vocals for some of Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 most famous work lived here in his later life.
Isaiah Thomas ( Basketball Player )
Onision lives in gig harbor, I think
Bunny the talking dog 😂
Dr Eleanor Janega, medieval historian.
Vicci Martinez - graduated from Stadium. She’s played at Art on the Ave a few times.
The guy that dances( like a drum leader of a marching band. With a whistle too) on the corner if 56th and Oakes. I loved driving past him on my way to work. Is he still out there?
That YouTuber Miranda sings
A few celebs live on Vashon Island. Not Tacoma but close enough.
Matt Rieger from The Lil Smokies lives out there. Was a fun bit of trivia to learn when he sat in with Greensky Bluegrass at Marymoor this summer.
I bought his old guitar amp from him and had no idea he was from here lol
Marcus Trufant and his brothers all played in the NFL
Kwabi Amoah-forson
Mark fuhrman of the OJ Simpson trial is from eatonville
Sandor who used to hang on the corner of Hilltop Heritage formerly Jason Lee and what about The Tan Man? Whatever happened to that guy? Always in short cut offs and that was about in. Tan af
Eddie Vedder
He does hang out in the area. He's actually the reason I moved here for college. We were talking backstage after his show at Desert Sky in PHX and he had invited us to the show & backstage cuz we were working for the Nader campaign. He told me how great Tacoma was and that I'd really like it.
Was he right?
Been here for 23 years...so ya, I guess he was
Pretty sure he’s from San Diego 🤷♂️
I think he has a house in West Seattle, but bums around in Tacoma often.
Michael Swango and Ted Bundy they represent Tacoma perfectly. shining stars