My tribute to wonderful publicist Jeff Ballard

Am truly so very sad about the passing of Jeffrey Ballard who was one of the most likable publicists I have ever come across in the entertainment business and certainly my most favorite.

He would go the extra mile to get you what you needed and arranged so many terrific interviews for me over the years including one with Betty Buckley which he arranged in fall 2019 from his hospital bed while undergoing cancer treatment.

Other interview subjects included Brandon Beemer, Christopher Atkins, Casey Deidrick and Broadway’s Michael Arden. The first-ever interview we did was with Dick Van Patten and his wife, Pat, over morning coffee at their home for my LA Daily News column.

But Jeff really came through for me time and time again when it came to interviews with Chandler Massey for Gay Star News and Greg in Hollywood when Chandler’s Days of our Lives character Will Horton’s coming out storyline was such big news.

I missed the Daytime Emmys (they conflicted with my mom’s 75th birthday) the year Chandler won his second of three Emmys and Jeff had him call me from backstage so I would have my own interview.

Jeff’s many clients over the years also included Charlie Sheen, Zac Efron, Paula Abdul, Rob Gronkowski, Justin Guarini, and Jim Verraros among many others. He was one of a kind, a joy to talk to or have lunch with, and I know he will be missed by so many.

Thanks for everything Jeff. I will never forget you.