PR guru Lasky found to have coronavirus
Son says COVID-19 was detected after his death
Boston public relations guru and Joe Biden adviser Larry Rasky posthumously tested positive for COVID19, his son said in a statement Friday.
“On Thursday night, we learned that my dad, Larry Rasky, tested positive for COVID-19,” Will Rasky said in a statement provided by Rasky Partners, the firm his father founded.
“My dad had other underlying health conditions that medical professionals urge us to keep in mind. Our family, Larry’s colleagues, and others had already taken precautions in advance of learning the result, and we continue to follow all public health guidance,” the son said.
He added, “Not being able to gather with family and friends has made mourning Larry’s death all the more difficult, so the impact of the pandemic was already felt. That said, Larry’s spirit and legacy have kept us all tied together.”
Rasky, 69, died Sunday at home.
One of his final tweets — the last he appeared to have written himself — was about coronavirus.
“COVID-19. You can’t bomb it. You can’t yell at it. You can’t ignore it. You can’t bully it. You can’t really blame anyone for it. The only thing you can do is solve the problem. That’s one card #DonaldTrump doesn’t have in his deck of magic cards,” Rasky wrote on March 13.
Rasky helped launch Unite the Country, a super PAC supporting Biden’s presidential campaign, and was listed as its treasurer.
“Larry Rasky was one of the sharpest political minds of his generation, a trusted advisor, and for me, a good and loyal friend,” Biden said in a statement after Rasky’s passing, calling his friend “gregarious, sharp, and generous in spirit.”
Rasky spent decades in the political realm, a career that was sparked when then-presidential hopeful Jimmy Carter’s Massachusetts headquarters “happened to open up in the building where Larry was working as a part-time security guard” while studying at Emerson College, Biden said.
“Just four years later, Larry was serving as Deputy Press Secretary for President Carter’s re-election campaign — a sharp rise that serves as a testament to his talent and tenacity,” Biden said.
Rasky’s death and his positive coronavirus test have sparked an outpouring of condolences and support for his family.
In response to the news of Rasky’s positive COVID-19 test, David Axelrod, former adviser to President Barack Obama, tweeted, “Colleagues say he was characteristically vibrant on a call” last Friday.
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo tweeted Sunday after Rasky’s passing, “Larry Rasky was at the center of political life in our city, state + country for decades. A brilliant strategist, he was a friend to House members, elected officials + corporate leaders alike. He will be missed.”