Adam Stawinski's clarinet was his passion. Denver's 16th Street Mall was his stage.
While buskers and street musicians come and go on the outdoor mall, Stawinski, once described as a roaming jukebox because of his repertoire of more than a thousand songs, was a familiar fixture downtown for more than two decades, belting out tune after tune to countless passers-by.
Stawinski, known as "Clarinet Man," died of Alzheimer's disease April 9 in the Highline Rehabilitation and Care Community, according to his daughter, Mary. He was 97.
"He knew about 600 songs by heart," Mary Stawinski said. "He went every day to the mall, every single day."
Born on Nov. 5, 1918, in Poland, Adam Stawinski immigrated as a child with his family to Pittsburgh.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the Pacific theater.
Read more about Stawinski from our partners at The Denver Post.