Never met the man but have always admired his work ,in the early years and later in life. God speed George. HRP
I feel good to have known him from my days as a little guy buying his bubblegum Kustom trading cards with all of the Star Cars (Munster Koach & Dragula were faves of mine as well), and looking in his windows of BKI NoHo, attended his Universal City Cars Of The Stars Auction in 81, later just seeing him around at the Throttlers,Road Kings shows at Johnny Carson Park and finally him attending events at the Broiler that was so near to his former shop and supporting what we all worked to achieve = A place for Kustom Kreations and Hot Rods to be seen in the scene. Godspeed George, Heaven now has another talent with a "Torch and a Hammer". Condolences to Joji and the surviving Barris Family, Please continue to continue the tradition.
as a kid..into cars, we dreamed of being like Mr Barris...Ive seen a few of his cars, there was a Guy in St Louis that had a few and the Dream Truck,,,cant remember his name, Kurt maybe???? i bought some nailhead stuff from him... but he was collecting all the Barris cars he could get..that was 1984ish..i just stared at his work..and was in awe...and had no idea what i was really looking at....and i wanted to be like George..everyone in my crowd wanted to be like George.... RIP...
he was such a inspriration to me as a car show photographer he is also what i wrote on facebook also i wanted to say it was thanks to george why i become a car show photographer he showed me what a inspiration he was to give me the time to talk to about cars alot of cool neat stuff he told me to keep what doing i am doing that is why i like to do rod and kustom show alot of different stuff things you never see on the car show circuit.you meet alot of neat people george you have alot of people who loved you so much and you showed us why you are the king of kustomers.thank you brett for allowing all these years to spend with your dad.
Just found out a little while ago. I met him when I was a teenager, this post made me think of that and I forgot I have the pic hanging right here on the wall. Sad day. R.I.P.
When I was leaving for basic training, I ordered four of his books. I asked during my call if I could purchase expedited shipping so that I could have the books before I left and was told it wasn't something they normally do.......they'd have to check into pricing and how to make time to drop off my order at the post office with such a busy schedule. They said they'd call back in a few days and let me know what they figured out and I thought "boy, not much chance of seeing the books in the next six months". Gotta admit I was pretty disappointed. Imagine my surprise when a package arrived in the mail 2 days later with all 4 books autographed and a free shirt! The receipt read "good luck in Basic". They footed the bill for shipping too. That forever formed my opinion of Barris and his crew. We lost one of the good ones today.
So deeply saddened to hear this news, truly a pioneer, a legend and an inspiration to me and many others...R.I.P. Mr. Barris...God's Speed...
Man I am so sorry to hear this news just went out in garage a said a prayer by his autograph he will be missed......
yes we have lost another one of the greats..I am glad I met him a few times and have pictures of myself and George..RIP
RIP George. I met the man not that long ago. I ask him why is he a passionate about Rods and Customs today. He reply......." it keeps me going everyday I look for the next project". Your legacy is second to none! God bless the Barris family in their time of sadness.
When my mother would take me to the main library I would always check out the George Barris book on Kustoms and study every picture. There was a picture of him photographing on of his kustoms with a twin lens Rolliflex. Hat tip for living a productive and entertaining life.
The biggest, most important name in customizing when I was growing up. He made a profound mark in the world.
This really is sad to hear. George certainly had a good run at life, and it seems he lived it to the fullest, even as he got older. Always the showman and promoter, he was one hell of a guy. Always upbeat and excited to talk about the things they had done. He also had a really creative mind. If you look at some of his creations, the Batmobile, Munster Coach, and many many more, it makes you wonder how the hell he came up with this stuff. The hot rod and custom car hobby has lost a one of a kind for sure. Rest in peace , Mr. Barris. You will never know how many of us you influenced. It's a good bet he is up there redesigning the place right now. Don
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