We at OffBeat were devastated to learn of the death of our writer and friend Rob Fontenot. He passed away suddenly at home on Friday, December 20, 2019 at the age of 52.

Rob was a great writer and long-time contributor to OffBeat. He wrote reviews, features and interviews, with his first contribution being in 1997. Rob wrote over 1,000 CD reviews for OffBeat, including most recently in 2019, Greg Schatz, the Lilli Lewis Project, Valerie Sassyfras, Tank & the Bangas, Sam Price & the True Believers, Esther Rose, Russell Welch and many others. 

He recently interviewed Ghalia Vauthier for a feature in OffBeat and over the years he interviewed many others, including John Fogerty for OffBeat‘s 2019 Jazz Fest Bible. 

Rob was a former writer for ThoughtCo, and wrote about classic rock and roll for 14 years, and had more than 22 years of experience in writing commentary about the entertainment industry. His experience also includes work for Blues Revue, AOL City Guide to New Orleans and Audience Magazine. Robert also wrote for Rock & Rap Confidential, a monthly online music entertainment newsletter headed by former Rolling Stone chief editor Dave Marsh. He also wrote the liner notes for Irma Thomas’ After The Rain (Dockside studios, 2006) album, among others. 

Rob graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of New Orleans in 1998 and also a Master’s in Communication at the Manship School of Mass Communication from LSU in 2002. He worked online as a senior writer, content creator, editor and blogger at HM Promotions, Ltd., based in the UK.

Fontenot was well-respected by his peers.

Rob is survived by his father, Robert E. Fontenot Sr.; mother, Nioma Stark Fontenot; sister and brother-in-law, Carla and Rodney Hotard; sister, Karen Fontenot; niece, Sarah Hotard; nephew, Austin Hotard; nephew, Nicholas Fontenot; and his godmother, Nedra Tuller.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 27, 2019 at Harry McKneely & Son Funeral Home. 2000 N. Morrison Blvd., Hammond, LA 70401 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with services held in the funeral home chapel beginning at 11:30 a.m. with interment following at St. Dominic Catholic Cemetery in Husser, LA.

To read just some of Robert Fontenot’s contributions to OffBeat over the years, click here.