From Stephen Elvis Smith on 24 September 2018

Last Wednesday, I was overjoyed to announce that my dear friend and producing partner, Joel Lipman was finally getting his liver transplant on the evening of Yom Kippur. Following the 7 hour surgery, he became very ill. When I woke up very early Friday morning, I  learned that he had passed away.  He was surrounded by his sister Ginger, his darling wife Lizette, and his two brave sons Jack and Noah.  This is a devastating loss to all of us who have known him. Joel was one of the good guys, and if you’ve been around this town long, you know he was rare. He was an incredible poet, and was known for his readings at Poetry in Motion. I wish I could form the words that came to him so easily.  He had a long history working in television, and we had worked closely together the past decade on various projects, and shared our love for music and its history.  The Doors drummer, John Densmore has told me that he has drummed for Joel's passing. He would have absolutely loved that. He had been a tight friend with Ray Manzerek too. Joel was so close and loving with his sons, and coached their baseball teams. Last time I saw him, we had a Chicago style hot dog at Carney's on the Sunset Strip. Joel was a Chicago native, with stories for days. Now that he has left us, I'm very concerned for his family's future.  Lizette is facing a tough road ahead. If you knew him (or didn't) and would like to help by contributing to a gofundme page that Lizette's friend Dove has set up, please do!  Thank you listening about such a great man. Rest in peace, my friend. I can't believe you're gone.