BASS, John Randall Christopher

JOHN RANDALL CHRISTOPHER BASS was born in Los Angeles on 4.7.47 and passed on the eve of his 74th birthday due to complications from a severe stroke. Son of John Junior Bass & Maureen Randall Bass, both deceased. The avid surfer, reader and accomplished napper lived his entire life in Cheviot Hills except for a 10 year journey to San Francisco with his sweetheart Candice (Wianecki) Bass where they were married and he managed the flagship Pacific Stereo store, before returning to LA to raise a family.

He attended Loyola High School (’65) and was a Marine Corps Reservist Plt 1143 before he graduated with an Anthropology degree from SF State. In the 80’s John created, produced, edited and filmed 104 episodes of surf television series ‘WAVE WATCH’ with Peter ‘PT’ Townend (1st world champ surfer ’76) interviewing a myriad of guests such as Alan Sarlo, Mark Foo, & Kelly Slater when surfing couldn’t be found elsewhere on TV. From 1980-2021 John was a senior editor for CNN and later CBS2-KCLA9 (Local 45) winning the Cable News Ace Award. Other accolades include the renowned Hollywood Minute, the ’96 Northridge Earthquake, The Gulf War, political conventions, Hurricane Katrina and his presence for Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. He was awarded a Platinum Record for his work on The Scorpions ‘Savage Amusement’ with friend and music supervisor for WAVE WATCH, Randy Nauert.

John is survived by his two talented and accomplished sons John E.D. Bass and Randall Christopher Bass, both graduates of Loyola HS and UCLA TFT of whom he was very proud; Cousin Bessie Jane Svehla of Omaha, NE; his dearest lifelong friends the Aronoff family and his brokenhearted wife and partner, Candice, since they were teenagers.

A memorial Paddle Out was held at Malibu Surfrider’s beach in June: https://tinyurl.com/ykrjjuca John donated his body to science, special thanks to Dr. Nathan T. VanderVeen. Donations can be made to the Daughter’s of Mary & Joseph or Surfrider’s Foundation.