Mannerisms remembered

Richard Kurtz’s friends and family laughed recently as they celebrated his memory. But their emotions take a turn when it comes to the authorities who arrested him shortly before he died.

Kurtz’s family is looking into the possibility of legal action relating to his death by brain aneurysm after Costa Mesa police arrested him Sept. 1 on suspicion of DUI, said older brother Mike Kurtz, who lives in Chicago. The family is in negotiations with a lawyer because they feel suspicious about Richard Kurtz’s death and want many more answers, he said.

Though police arrested Kurtz on suspicion of DUI, those connected to the substance-abuse treatment program he attended say he hadn’t drunk a drop; rather, they said, he had made strides in putting his life back together and was sticking to it.

“I can say for a fact, Rich was not under the influence of alcohol or any other substance,” said Joe Motley, director of South Coast Counseling, at a memorial for Kurtz last week. “He had begun to be under the influence of life. He was absolutely on cloud nine.”

The memorial brought 50 people to meet near the No. 7 lifeguard tower in Huntington Beach last week.

While the occasion was an unexpected death of a man who made friends in Huntington Beach and in Hollywood for almost 30 years, the mood was more about celebration than loss.

And when 10-year roommate Bill Flynn joked about Kurtz’s mannerisms — the way his stories would trail off with “yadda yadda,” or the way a request for a place to stay a few weeks might stretch into years, everyone chuckled.

Friends and family from Huntington Beach, Los Angeles and his hometown, Chicago, spoke about Kurtz, who came to California in 1979 and liked it so much he never left. They called him easygoing, optimistic and so energetic he once jumped off a cliff into Lake Havasu and broke his neck.

After Kurtz left hospital care, 30-year friend Jim Flynn said, “He came up to me with braces on his neck and a six-pack of beer. I asked him what happened. He said, ‘Sit down; I’ll tell you about it.’”

Through his company, kurtzunlimited, Kurtz broke new ground in set decoration on Hollywood films, TV and major events.

Printing on huge posters, glass, metal or other materials, he could put images on screen in a way no one else could, said business colleague Mark Murphy.

His portfolio ranged from shows such as “Entourage” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to the ESPY Awards and the Republican National Convention.

Costa Mesa police say he was pronounced dead at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday. The Orange County District Attorney’s office is investigating his death, which is its routine practice for any death in police custody — though answers may take months, said Dist. Atty. spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

Kurtz was on life support long enough for family to see him and for his organs to be donated, friends said. The organ donations went a long way in helping with the shock of grief, Mike Kurtz said.

“All of a sudden, we had a purpose,” he said. “Rich can live on in the people he has helped. We saved two lives last night.”

Kurtz’s friends and family are not done honoring his memory.

A similar ceremony will take place in Chicago next week, and his ashes will be scattered in Huntington Beach in a few weeks.

He will also live on at his company website, www.kurtzunlimited.com, which has become a permanent memorial.