Hambone's owner Jeffrey Holt remembered for supporting Pittsburgh's art, music scene

One of the Pittsburgh area’s longtime supporters of its music and comedy scene died Thursday.

Jeffrey D. Holt of Mt. Lebanon owned the popular Lawrenceville bar Hambone’s. He was 46.

A cause of death wasn’t listed in obituary information, and his family declined to discuss his manner of death.

“We lost a compassionate and kind soul. He was an amazing person,” said Holt’s sister, Sue Holt-Hauck of Rochester, N.Y.

Her brother was a talented painter, potter and metal sculptor who earned a bachelor’s degree of fine arts from the University of Cincinnati.

He’d worked in bars around Pittsburgh and had solely owned Hambone’s since 2018. Prior to that he was a co-owner for several years, Holt-Hauck said.

Holt wanted to develop a “special space” for artists and that space was Hambone’s on Butler Street, she said.

It was comforting to hear and read the tributes from the area’s artistic and musical community, she said.

Brad Wagner, also of Mt. Lebanon, only met Holt once, but it left a big impression.

Wagner, who plays solo acoustic shows, said he played a last-minute gig at Hambone’s a few years ago.

“I spoke to him after my set,” Wagner said. “He really seemed to care a lot about the artists that were playing his venue.”

They talked about both being from Mt. Lebanon and it struck a chord with Wagner.

“He was a strong advocate for a lot of people starting out,” Wagner said. “It’s a big loss for the Pittsburgh musical community.”

Brad Lauer of Greensburg agreed.

“He was always … a good guy,” Lauer said, as he started to cry when he spoke of Holt.

Lauer played in several bands when he was living in Pittsburgh. He knew Holt when Lauer was playing gigs with several bands around town, including Bad Buddha and Paul and Athena.

Before he owned Hambone’s, Holt worked at the Birmingham Bridge Tavern on the South Side and Papa J’s Centro Downtown, Lauer said.

“He was pretty quiet. I didn’t know him outside of the bar,” Lauer said.

Gina Vensel of Easy Street Promotions and Live Music PGH said Holt was a crucial supporter of the city’s live music and comedy scene.

“Jeff was the reason many had the opportunity to get on the stage,” Vensel said.

His love and support for artists was “truly unparalleled,” she said.

Funeral arrangements are private.