Mr. Queens dead at 55
QUEENS CHAMBER of Commerce Executive Director Jack Friedman, who was so active in the borough he earned the moniker Mr. Queens, died Thursday. He was 55.
Friedman died at his home just three days shy of his 56th birthday, said a Queens Chamber of Commerce rep.
Friedman’s death triggered a flood of online tributes from city pols who had come to know him as a genial operator whose reach extended into politics, education and business.
“He was involved in everything Queens,” said Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens).
“If you had to say one guy was Mr. Queens, it was Jack Friedman. It’s a tremendous loss.”
A married father of two, Friedman suffered from diabetes and was on dialysis. Still, his death came as a shock, Weprin said. “I don’t think anybody expected this,” added Weprin, for whom Friedman worked as a chief of staff in the mid 2000s.
Friedman operated a photo printing business after he graduated from Queens College in 1981.
He went on to become a president of School Board 26 and the chairman of the Queens Community Board 13 Economic Development Committee.
Friedman joined the Queens Chamber of Commerce seven years ago following his stint as Weprin’s aide.
“Having lived in Queens his entire life, Jack had an intimate knowledge and history, combined with his experience as a small business owner, which allowed him to help countless entrepreneurs,” the Queens Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. Friedman is survived by his wife Lorie and two children: Cara and Daniel.