Pete Doolittle’s paintings of cartoon-version robots and animals have been hanging in San Francisco homes and bars for decades, but the longtime SF artist passed away Thursday morning at the age of 47.
You might have known SF artist Pete Doolittle from his paintings of robots and other characters on salvaged old window panels, often sold at his makeshift sidewalk pop-up art bazaars near the Lower Haight. Or maybe you just followed Pete Doolittle’s artist page on Facebook.
None of these would have prepared you for the news that Pete Doolittle died this past Thursday, January 2, as 48 Hills reports. He was 47.
“I regret to inform you all that Pete Doolittle passed away peacefully, and very unexpectedly, yesterday morning Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 10:30 am,” his partner Claudia Nicolas Pierce said in a Friday Facebook post. “He was the most fearless and authentic creature I’d ever come across. He was unapologetically himself, which is so rare in this world. I have a theory that he had a woo about him, where everyone he met, regardless of their gender, orientation, or age, just immediately developed some kind of dreamy crush on him. Because he was so fucking charming, quick witted, personable, and just funny as hell.”
A GoFundMe in memory of Pete Doolittle has already raised nearly $15,000 in three days. “As you can imagine, when these things happen suddenly, there is no preparing for all the resources that are needed,” that page says. “Your generosity is deeply appreciated.”
Doolittle’s art was often directly painted onto discarded windows. “I get most of my glass through contractors because it costs them to get rid of waste glass at the dump,” he told artist Pilar Clergue in a 2012 interview. “So by having them drop it off at my studio I save them money while saving money myself. When people realise I use windows for my art they bring me windows, it works well.”
A memorial for Pere Doolittle is scheduled for Sunday, February 2, Cafe International. Coincidentally, February 2 is Doolittle’s birthday.
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Image: Pete Doolittle via Facebook
