Ira Kosberg was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Ira Kosberg, who volunteered in the booth for Theatre Palisades at Pierson Playhouse, was killed on November 18 as he was crossing Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.
Theatre Palisades Board Member Martha Hunter told CTN that he was a very dear friend and roommate of Laura Goldstein’s who is a longtime member of TP.
“Laura brought Ira to our theatre a few years ago and he quickly became a friend to all of us,” Hunter said. “Andy Frew taught him to run the lights and sound up in the booth. He also helped with hospitality during the shows.”
Kosberg was on his way to Pacific Palisades to run the booth for the Agatha Christie play Towards Zero, when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver.
“I am the stage manager for Towards Zero and wondered why Ira hadn’t shown up,” Hunter said. “He was always early and it seemed very strange.”
Theater members couldn’t reach Kosberg, they couldn’t reach Laura, and they even reached out to Frew to see if he could find Kosberg.
“No one could contact him,” Hunter said. “Our director, Hahnah Jackson, had the night off but she was able to come in to run the booth. We started a half hour late giving champagne to the audience until Hahnah arrived. We still hadn’t heard anything about Ira.”
Goldstein went home and Ira was not there, but his car was.
“She called all of the hospitals in the area and finally was told that he was at Holy Cross in Reseda,” Hunter said. “The hospital wouldn’t and couldn’t tell Laura anything about Ira’s condition since she was not a relative.”
The hospital reached Ira’s brother the next morning and told him that Ira had died.
The case is under investigation. CTN reached out to LAPD to see if there was an update, but detectives have not responded.
“We are all still in shock and extremely sad,” Hunter said. “The Board of Directors are dedicating the remaining performances to Ira Kosberg. They write: ‘Your TP family will miss you dearly. Rest peacefully, dear friend.’
OBIT: IRA KOSBERG
Ira was born November 15, 1956 and passed away on November 18, 2023 from blunt traumatic injuries.
He graduated from Fairfax High School in 1974 and started college at California State University Northridge in June 1974 and graduated in May 1979.
His sister Janice died in 2012 after battling Multiple Sclerosis. His wife Ellen Breth-Kosberg passed away in April 2014.
In 2018 for his birthday, he asked for donations to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation Inc. and wrote that “I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit will help me reach my goal.” His goal was $200, he raised $247.
He worked at Planet Art, and on his Facebook page, he said one of his favorite quotes was “You can’t steal first base.”
Ira was a warm, funny and giving person. He is and will be missed.