Al Copeland dead at 64

[FistFullaRoux]

http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=8057418

Al Copeland, who became rich selling spicy fried chicken and notorious for his flamboyant lifestyle, extravagant weddings, bitter divorces and lawsuits over Christmas decorations, died Sunday at a clinic near Munich, Germany. Copeland, who was 64, had been diagnosed shortly before Thanksgiving with a malignant salivary gland tumor.

One more legend goes away.

[lperry]

When I was at Tulane, we would head out toward Lake Ponchartrain at Christmas time to see the infamous decorations. The traffic was horrendous, but it was worth the wait. And way back then, the "nice" dinners that we could afford were almost always at Copeland's on St. Charles. I didn't even know he was ill. How very sad. Goodbye, Mr. Copeland.

[Timh]

I remember the uproar when he opened Straya on St. Charles. Or more specifically, the fight between him and Ann Rice.Made for good headlines and quotes. (What ever happened to Straya, btw?)

[HungryC]

Straya, with its over-the-top Disneyland meets the MGM back lot decor, closed and Al reopened it as his latest concept, Cheesecake Bistro. CB was closed for a while after Katrina, but it is currently open again.

I just hope his corporate affairs were in order & that his estate planning was well thought out, as this might open the door for a sale & revitalization of the defunct Copelands at St. Charles & Napoleon, aka the Avenue's biggest eyesore.