Jeffrey Philip La Bar of Nashville, Tennessee passed away peacefully at the age of 58 on July 14th, 2021. He was born on March 18th, 1963 in Darby, Pennsylvania to June and Bob La Bar. Jeff grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania and went to Upper Darby High School.
Inspired by his brother Jack to pick up the guitar, he joined the local rock band Cinderella, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s with a string of platinum selling albums. The group toured the world and had numerous charting songs and videos on MTV. Cinderella had an exceptionally strong fanbase in Japan, which was particularly special to Jeff as that’s where his mother June was born and raised. He would always take her and their family in Japan to the band’s shows there, a life highlight for both mother and son. As Jeff got older, a love of music shifted to a passion for the culinary arts, with his cooking inspired by June’s Japanese heritage. He would reinterpret dishes that were standards in the La Bar household and add a unique flair.
Following a move to Nashville in 2004, Jeff quickly surrounded himself with a community of dear friends who he loved to host and cook for at his home there. He never forgot his Delco roots though and stayed close with all those he grew up with in the region. While he became a bit of a fan of the Tennessee Titans when he moved to Nashville, Jeff’s number one sports franchises were in his hometown, number one being the Philadelphia Eagles, as he never missed the team’s games and would always text his dad Bob during them. He would always make time to talk to his mom for hours every Sunday on the phone, reminiscing and listening to stories about June’s days growing up in Japan. He planned on moving back to Delco as his parents got older, and his mother was excited to have him return with his cooking.
Jeff inspired many of his friends and family to get into music, notably his son and pride and joy, Sebastian. He was eternally proud of the man and musician his son became and looked forward to working on a music project with him. Sebastian visited his father in Nashville often and loved playing music with Jeff and hearing about adventures from the old days when he was on the road. An animal lover, Jeff rescued cats, spent time taking care of his fish and adored his cat Loki.
In addition to Sebastian, Jeff is survived by his wife and best friend Debinique, with whom he created an internet radio show Late Night with the La Bars, his parents Bob and June, brothers Jack (Alice) and David (Victoria), sister Diane (Jason), sister-in-law Lisa and many nieces and nephews. Jeff was like a second father to his siblings Diane and David growing up. Although he had many admirers, Jeff was an even bigger fan of his family and friends, seeing the absolute best in everyone he met. Rarely was there a picture of Jeff without a smile on his face. Jeff was an incredibly loving human being and will be missed beyond measure. Immediate arrangements are private and a Celebration of Jeff’s Life is being planned for close friends and family.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Grammy’s Musicares Financial and Addiction Recovery Assistance Program: grammy.com/musicares/donations.
20 Responses
Jeff was a great guitarist, but more importantly, sounds like Jeff was a great person! My family and I have been rescuing animals for years, wish we could rescue every single one, cats, dogs, rabbits, all of them! I always said Cinderella was the perfect combination of Aerosmith and AC⚡DC combined, especially on “In From The Outside,” strong influence, and just happens to be my favorite song from Cinderella. Only seen them once opening for Roth in ’86, but it just seems like it was yesterday.
Very very sad
Jeff and the rest of the band made an incredible impression on me. In 1986 Cinderella was in my city opening for DLR. After the show, my friends Angie (16) and Pete (22) and I (20) went across the street from the venue to a hotel cafe / restaurant to grab some food. Nothing else was open in our city that time of night. As we were waiting to be seated, Angie saw the band sitting in a corner booth eating. She begged us to go over with her to talk to them. Pete and I were apprehensive because they had just performed and they were eating but she convinced us. They were so gracious and kind and invited us to sit and eat with them. I was seated next to Jeff and Fred. It was obviously before cellphones and no cameras were allowed at the venue so I only have an autograph napkin and a really great memory of some really nice people. Jeff was a phenomenal guitar player and I made sure to see their show whenever they came through. RIP Jeff! ❤❤❤
Great story! Thanks for sharing!
Cinderella were a great band unfairly, IMO, labeled as a “hair band” based on the cover of their first album. Their first album sure did hit a lot harder than the image depicted on the cover……
As a person who, like Eddie, hates the term, and label, hair metal, because it describes a look, not a sound, I must confess, I hated the Night Songs cover. I thought their outfits were tacky, atrocious and the patterns clashed. It was not beneficial for the band, in either image or as a representation of their sound. I felt a similar revulsion to Dokken’s Under Lock and Key look.
However, despite their makeup, and ridiculous women’s boots, I did not mind how Mötley Crüe looked during their Shout At The Devil phase. I guess it is all how it is presented and put together.
RIP Jeff LaBar.
Motley Crue really looked ridiculous during Theatre Of Pain! But hey, it was the mid ’80s! Even Ozzy went glam! 😉 Luckily I looked right through all of that and just laughed my ass off! And rocked my ass off as well! 😉
Well, as a woman, I guess we pay more attention to those things. Ozzy looked good as a blonde, however, I could have done without the sequenced mumus…but my mother liked them. 🙂
LOL! How about KI⚡⚡’s look in ’85? Asylum is a GREAT album, but those Richard Simmons clothes??? LOL!!! Looks like they raided his wardrobe! 😉 BTW, back to Cinderella, Night Songs (just listened to it yesterday) is also a GREAT album! 1 of the best debuts from a rock band, especially from the mid ’80s!
Yes, some of the poor fashion choices needed adjustments-LOL!
This is sad news. I read an article where Jeff says Cinderella not reuniting is probably because of his drinking. Hope it wasn’t part of the problem for this sad loss. Way too young.
DANA,
A little off topic , why do you think there are no women other than yourself on this site ?
Robert,
I honestly have no idea??
D