NEW ORLEANS — Hundreds of people gathered in Mid-City on Saturday to remember a man — a friend who gave an outlet to upcoming musicians.
33-year-old Rand Owens passed away Feb. 29, unexpectedly.
"Me and Rand were about friends for 10 — 11 years," Max McKenna, friend and business partner said.
Friends at Pizza Fest, the memorial event planned in Rand's honor, said Owens was funny and had an outgoing personality.
"This was the guy I texted every day in my life. He was the guy I talked to. We always joked that this was our retirement dream, owning a bar with your best friend," McKenna said.
Among the people gathered at the Banks Street Bar to remember Rand, many found it difficult to process the loss. His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
"I couldn't believe it. It's still kind of unbelievable," Brain Pretus, a friend who works in Banks Street Bar.
Owens bought Banks Street Bar in 2018. The bar was later transformed into a place where local artists could perform and potentially enter the music scene.
"He turned the place for all ages to come and play music," Pretus said.
To honor Owens, friends started Pizza Fest, an event with live music and different pizzas from local restaurants in the city.
Patrick Owens, Rand's uncle, said he was devastated by the news of his nephew's passing.
"I knew Rand as my nephew. I didn't know him as a community figure," Patrick said.
But seeing hundreds of people showed up to honor Rand put a smile on Patrick's face.
"I didn't know he did a lot for the city here. I didn't know the city, Mid-City would turn around and come back and care and reciprocate the feelings back to him," Owens said.
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