Sunset Strip Icon, Elmer Valentine, Dies

Elmer Valentine, the man credited for putting the Sunset Strip on the map, died in his sleep on Wednesday. In 1960, he opened PJ's on the Strip and then the Whisky A Go-Go. After that he helped open the Rainbow Bar & Grill and the Roxy next door.

Tonight at 8 p.m. Valentine's club's and the House of Blues, Key Club, Viper Room and Cat Club will dim their outside lights for one minute to honor him.

“Its somehow fitting that the man who turned the Sunset Strip lights on would be honored by the lights of those venues that followed his imprint turning theirs off in a tribute to him,” said Lou Adler, who along with Valentine founded The Roxy in 1973.

“The Strip will not be the same. Elmer Valentine started the legendary music experience on the Sunset Strip, which still flourishes today,” added Todd Steadman, Executive Director of the Sunset Strip Business Association.

Valentine was born in 1923 in Chicago and served in the Air Force during World War II. He later became a Chicago Police Detective before moving to Los Angeles to found PJ's, which became one of the most famous clubs in the country after Trini Lopez recorded a live album during a live show.

Photo (Left to Right): Lou and Elmer on the Strip