Since the news about Tom Kowalski's death came out on Monday, there has been an outpouring of grief from fans, media members and friends of Kowalski. It speaks to the kind of person Kowalski was that so many have been affected by his death, and it shows that he was much more than just a Lions beat writer.
More proof of this comes with this news: Kowalski will be remembered on Friday with a public memorial at Cheli's Chili Bar in Detroit. Everybody is invited to the memorial, which will serve as a celebration of Kowalski's life. Here are more details:
A celebration of his life, including remembrances, photos and video, will take place in and around Cheli's Chili Bar, 47 E. Adams, in Detroit beginning at noon Dan Miller, sports director of Fox2 News in Detroit and the play-by-play announcer of the Lions Radio Network, will host the event. [...]
"We're planning a Bud Light toast and then a barbeque of hamburgers and hot dogs, just what Tom would have wanted," said Matt Riley, a close friend of Kowalski who is helping organize the event. "Any people who want to come by can, and it will be casual, so you can show up in shorts and a t-shirt."
MLive reports that an autopsy revealed that Kowalski died from "acute congestive heart failure caused by hypertensive and arterioscleratic cardiovascular disease." Atrial fibrillation sent Kowalski to the hospital last month, and he was taking medication in order to regulate his heartbeat.