Richard Riordan, modern LA’s first Catholic mayor, dies at 92
Richard Riordan, the first Catholic to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles in the modern era, died at the age of 92 on Wednesday, April 19, his family announced.
Riordan served as mayor from 1993 to 2001 and is largely credited for guiding the city in the aftermath of the 1992 L.A. Riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In a statement shared Thursday morning, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said his death “marks the end of an era here in the city and in the Church here in Los Angeles.
“Mayor Riordan was a devoted public servant, a generous philanthropist, a wise civic leader, and a fine Christian gentleman, who worked hard to make life better for those he served, especially for the poorest Angelenos,” said the archbishop.