"Great Imposter" Barry Bremen Dead At 64
(Detroit-WWJ) Detroit-area businessman Barry Bremen, who became famous in the 1980s by crashing numerous sporting events and even TV's Emmy Awards, has died of cancer in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 64.
A memorial service for family and friends was held this week at Southfield's Ira Kaufman Chapel. Bremen ran a successful merchandising business in Bloomfield Hills.
His career as "The Great Imposter," as he was known, began at a Pistons game in 1978, when he impersonated a member of the opposition Kansas City Kings, even getting in some late-game floor time.
Bremen crashed the NBA All-Star game, the 1985 U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakland Hills, and was chased from the Major League Baseball All-Star game by then-Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.
His antics got him invited to the Johnny Carson and David Letterman late-night TV talk shows.
Bremen even accepted an award at the 1985 Emmy Awards show for "Hill Street Blues" star Betty Thomas, before Thomas took the podium and snatched the statuette from Bremen.
Bremen was buried in Phoenix following a private funeral.
(Copyright 2011 WWJ Newsradio 950. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press Contributed To This Story.)
