Veteran lighting designer James L. Moody (1942-2023), passed away on Monday, February 20, 2023. His concert lighting career included working with Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Rod Stewart, Frank Zappa, Barry White, Linda Ronstadt, John Denver, Andy Gibb, Smokey Robinson, Donny and Marie Osmond, the Beach Boys, the Eagles, David Bowie, and Jackson Browne... He was the inaugural winner of the Performance Magazine Concert Lighting Designer of the Year Award in 1980. Moody also worked extensively in television lighting as a director of photography with IATSE National Local #600 in Hollywood, from Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert to Entertainment Tonight, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Hard Copy. Always interested in education, he served as head of the Technical Theatre Program, technical director and lighting designer for The Theatre Academy at Los Angeles City College, and served many years on the faculty at the California Institute of the Arts. He also served in the US Coast Guard.
He authored or co-authored several books, including: “Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art, and Business” (now in its third edition), “The Business of Theatrical Design,” and "Lighting For Televised Live Events" with his former business partner Jeff Ravitz (Moody Ravitz Lighting).
His awards include: The American Society of Lighting Directors, Award of Excellence; Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, Best Lighting Design “Glass Menagerie;” United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Distinguished Achievement Award; the Academy of Television Arts and Science Emmy Award. He was an honorary fellow of The Hong Kong Academy of The Performing Arts.
Moody extended his industy involvement as a USITT Fellow: read about his USITT contributions here.
Read: Live Design's Q&A With James Moody when he was a speaker at the Concert Master Classes
"I'm saddened by the passing of my friend, partner, teacher, mentor and one dynamo of a human being, Jim James Moody. It's hard to comprehend he's gone...a generous spirit, genuinely interested about everyone in his life. His boundless curiosity about his craft, and the world...the push to know more, do more, help more, share more, was a life lesson for me. Our industry is the better for his contributions, and I was the lucky recipient of his warm friendship, a close look at his bottomless bag of tricks, and more than a few rides on the boat. This is hard. I/we will miss you, Jim," says his friend of many decades, Jeff Ravitz.
As Moody's daughter Kimberly wrote on Facebook: "The wind will no longer blow into his sails taking him wherever his dreams took him here on earth (and believe me they took him to oh so many places), instead the wind will help him soar to ever greater heights as he journeys home. My father passed away rather unexpectedly yesterday on Presidents Day. I like to think it was a fitting day for him to be called home as his middle name, LaRoy, given to him by his mom, has French origins and means the king. For friends and family who knew him and would like to celebrate his life there will be two ceremonies, one at his Buddhist temple in Los Angeles and the other with the United States Coast Guard in Oxnard. I will post more when all the arrangements have been made and we have more specific information to share."
Pat MacKay, founder of LDI, writes: "I am shocked to hear of Jim Moody's passing. Jeff Ravitz, Anne Militello, John Gresch, and I were just talking with him last week at John's retirement party. He was happy, energetic, looking forward to his upcoming talk at the USITT.
Ever eager, never with out an idea for a new article, a new book, a new edition of an older book...or some new accomplishment. Air traffic controller was one of my favorites. His devotion to the Coast Guard, the USITT, his students is without compare. I don't think it would be stretching a point if I said Concert Lighting, and The Business of Being a Lighting Designer are what they are today because of Jim, Sundance Lighting, Moody and Ravitz, Moody Ravitz and Hollingsworth...and most recently Jim and Jeff's collaboration on Lighting for Televised Live Events."