John C. Kelleher, III, MD 1970-2020 John died peacefully on the morning of January 26, 2020, surrounded by his family in West Hollywood, California. He was 49. 

Born in Dallas, Texas, December 9, 1970 – his paternal grandmother’s 50th birthday – John touched many lives throughout his lifetime in all the places he lived: Dallas, TX; Toledo, OH; Amarillo, TX; Providence, RI; Nagoya, Japan; New York City, NY; and Los Angeles, CA. Those who were fortunate to know John, loved him deeply. 

John demonstrated a genuine kindness and compassion for every person he encountered. His ever-gracious demeanor garnered him friendships wherever he went. Even in his last days he was fist bumping doctors, complimenting a nurse on her earrings, and offering friends and visitors food and drink. Brain cancer robbed John of his language, but not his uncanny ability to make a person feel special and loved. His smile was endearing, laugh infectious, and silliness adored. 

John was dedicated to the Arts throughout his life. He played piano and cello (including in his sister's wedding) He played Linus, Snoopy, Little John, and countless other memorable parts at the Amarillo Little Theater when he was young. He later studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City and did Summer Stock in Maine. He loved opera and held season tickets to the LA Opera for many years. While in New York, he was a waiter (and later, captain), serving seafood towers for many years at Balthazar. He was a reader, art lover, traveler, needlepointer, and knitter. He was a consummate host. 

He had an insatiable intellect. John graduated from Brown University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and East Asian Studies, studied abroad in Nagoya, Japan, and was fluent in Japanese. He studied medicine, also at Brown, with an emphasis on psychiatry, and completed his residency in psychiatry at UCLA in 2011. So that he could deepen his understanding of the mind and further help his patients, John was in the process of completing his psychoanalytic training at The New Center for Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles when he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. John was renowned by his colleagues for his kindness, compassion, and ability to treat difficult patients. 

He was a cherished friend, son, brother, husband, and father. He met his husband, Greg, while still living in New York in 2003 and they moved to Los Angeles in 2006. In 2011, they had their daughter, Phoebe. John loved to experience other cultures, places, cuisines, and people and he and Greg (and later Phoebe) had many travel adventures, While this is the end to a truly extraordinary life, it is not the end of his legacy. John will live on in all of us in the ways he impacted our hearts and minds.

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