Matthew Douglas Brashear

Matthew Douglas “Doc” Brashear tragically died in a one vehicle accident in Las Vegas on November 5. He was an inspiration and friend to so many. Matthew graduated from Manual and Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville and attended North Carolina School of the Arts, transferring to Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois and graduating with a degree in lighting design. Matthew was a brilliant and talented lighting designer and master electrician in theatre, TV, and movies. His life lit up much and many. Some of the productions that Matthew did lighting for included touring with Jesus Christ Super Star with Ted Neeley, Sesame Street and an Asian tour of Sound of Music where he developed his love of Thailand. In theatre in LA and Vegas his work included Cirque du Soleil, Danny Ganz, and Garth Brooks. In TV and movies, he worked on productions including Jeopardy, Hocus Pocus 2 and Westworld and many others. He was a proud member of IATSE locals 728 and 33 in Los Angeles. Matthew started and maintained for many years, a free farm stand in his front yard to share produce and other items to build community. It was on a “share as you can/take as you desire” basis. He delighted friends and family with so many events including the Hollywood Bowl, the Magic Castle and many theatrical and cultural events.

His mom, Debbie, and his brother, Nick cannot imagine life without him. He was loved dearly by many family members and friends, including Carla, Jamie, Mary Gail, Doug, Melissa, Roger, Emily, and Darko. Donations may be sent to the American Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or the charity of your choice. A memorial service honoring his life will be held at Crescent Hill Baptist Church, where he was a member of the youth group, on November 23 with visitation from 11-2, followed by a celebration of his life at 2 p.m.