Phoenix businessman and philanthropist Judd Herberger dies at age 79
Oct 28, 2021, 1:00 PM
Judd Herberger, who died Oct. 27, 2021, pictured with his wife, Billy Joe. (Herberger Theater Center Photo)
(Herberger Theater Center Photo)
PHOENIX – Arizona businessman and philanthropist Judd Herberger died Wednesday of heart failure at age 79, according to his wife.
“He said goodbye after a fabulous and wonderful life, supporting every aspect of the arts with so many that wouldn’t have begun or continued in Arizona without his passion and help,” Billie Joe Herberger said in a press release Thursday.
“I will continue to carry on the legacy and our love of the arts and cannot express how much I will miss him by my side.”
Judd Herberger moved to Arizona as a child in the 1940s, according to the release.
The family name is best known for the Herberger Theater. Judd’s parents, Bob and Katherine Herberger, contributed $3 million to get it built in the late 1980s, and the family has been involved with the downtown Phoenix facility ever since.
Judd’s business ventures included Scottsdale’s Kierland Commons development.
Judd and Billie Joe Herberger were inducted into the Herberger Theater Center Performing and Broadcast Arts Hall of Fame in 2019, joining the likes of Alice Cooper, Pat McMahon and Judd’s parents.
