Howard Bragman Dies: Public Relations And Crisis Management Expert, LGBTQ+ Activist Was 66

UPDATED with more information: Howard Bragman, one of Hollywood’s top crisis-management experts whose clients included Sharon Osbourne, Monica Lewinsky, Stevie Wonder, Chaz Bono and many more, died peacefully in his sleep Saturday night after a private battle with acute monocytic leukemia. He was just days shy of his 67th birthday.

The PR vet was surrounded by his husband Mike, his brother Alan, his niece Lizzy and friends when he passed, we are told.

According to a family representative, Bragman will be laid to rest in a private ceremony later this week in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Arrangements are being made for a memorial service in Los Angeles at a date to be named..

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested a donation to the Coming Out Fund established in Bragman’s name.

Bragman graduated from the University of Michigan and immediately embarked on a career in public relations. He served as a VP in the Chicago and os Angeles offices of Burson-Marsteller, then co-founded Bragman Nyman Cafarelli in 1989. That company was acquired by Interpublic Group in 2001, and Bragman went on to establish Fifteen Minutes, a media and public relations agency. He most recently founded LaBrea Media in 2018.

An LGBTQ+ activist and longtime community supporter, he advised several celebrities as a “coming out” counselor, including actress Meredith Baxter, basketball’s Sheryl Swoopes, country music artist Chely Wright, and NFL player Michael Sam.

Bragman was an Adjunct Professor in Public Relations at the USC Annenberg Center for Communications from 1998-2003 and the author of the book, Where’s My Fifteen Minutes?: Get Your Company, Your Cause, or Yourself the Recognition You Deserve, which was published in 2008 by Penguin.

GLAAD’s president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis today issued a statement on Bragman’s passing.

“Howard Bragman was an industry leader who masterfully used the power of the press to create positive change and visibility for LGBTQ people. Throughout his long career, he worked with many LGBTQ notables to ensure their coming out stories were treated with dignity and created impact for the entire community. His own visibility as an out executive, paired with a trademark humor and bold approach to public relations, made unforgettable marks on media, entertainment, and public relations industries.”