The celebrity mountain lion of Griffith Park, P-22, was remembered in a grand celebration at the Greek Theatre on Saturday.
Free tickets for the P-22 Celebration were booked up well in advance. Thousands gathered on a bright afternoon to see musical performances, dances and speeches in tribute to P-22.
When P-22 was euthanized in December, Los Angeles showed an outpouring of grief and love for the lonely cat and all he represented. That was reflected in Saturday’s memorial, which had been scheduled to last two hours but stretched to nearly three and a half hours.
National Wildlife Federation California Regional Executive Director Beth Pratt, who has been P-22’s spokesperson for a decade, was emcee for the celebration.
“There’s going be some really emotional moments where you’re gonna see 6,000 people at the Greek Theatre, all in tears passing Kleenex around but largely focused on celebrating that we got to spend time on the planet with this remarkable animal,” she said prior to the event.
The memorial program featured musical performances, a section on how to honor the legacy of P-22, speeches from those who had connections to the mountain lion, and some special surprise guests, including DJ and music producer Diplo.
Watch A Replay
Voices From The Crowd
People got to the Greek Theatre early to pay their respects to L.A.’s most beloved — and arguably the world’s most famous — mountain lion. The gates didn’t open until 10:30 a.m., but by 9 a.m. the line to enter the theater stretched far down Vermont Avenue in Griffith Park.
Here’s what a few attendees had to say about P-22’s perseverance in the…
Read the full article here
