Griffin Madden

Tragic news received this morning from Cal Performances: their staff member Griffin Madden died in the GhostShip warehouse fire in Oakland this past Friday night.

Matias Tarnopolsky writes:

It is with incredible sadness that I write to inform you that a beloved member of our staff, Griffin Madden, perished in the fire in Oakland on Friday night. Griffin had been missing since last being seen there, and his death was confirmed yesterday evening.

Griffin was Cal Performances’ Audience Services Associate, recently winning that full-time position after having worked as a student usher throughout his undergraduate career. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2015 with a double major in Philosophy and Slavic Languages and Literature. He was devoted to Cal Performances and had been an integral member of our staff for five years, starting as a freshman at age 18.  Griffin was 23 years old.

Yesterday, at Cal Performances’ long scheduled staff holiday gathering, Griffin’s father, Mike, and Griffin's girlfriend, Saya, joined us in a spirit of comfort and connection with the people whom Griffin touched every day.  

Their extraordinary example of grace and optimism was truly inspiring to all of us who knew Griffin.

Cal Performances plans to hold a memorial event in the spring. If people would like to send remembrances or condolences to Griffin's family, they may send them to me at the address below and we will forward them.

Our community is heartbroken at this news. We extend our deep condolences to Griffin's family and to his friends.