Mickey Cottrell Obituary

Mickey Cottrell, a seasoned Hollywood publicist known for his decades-long advocacy of independent films and forays into acting, has passed away at the age of 79.

On New Year’s Day, Cottrell breathed his last at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. Suzy Cottrell, his sister, confirmed his demise and paid tribute to her late brother on Facebook.

In her post, she expressed, “My adorable, fun, critical, foodie, particular, brilliant, loving brother passed on to the next life early on New Year’s Day. He was smiling when he died. Mickey Cottrell will be missed by many.”

Following a stroke in 2016, Cottrell had been residing with his sister in Arkansas before returning to Los Angeles in 2019.

Born on September 4, 1944, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Cottrell initiated his career in publicity at Landmark Theaters in 1982. He went on to establish Cottrell and Lindeman Associates in 1989, and in 2002, he founded his own firm, naming it Mickey Cottrell Film Publicity.

Cottrell collaborated with numerous prominent independent filmmakers, including Andrew Haigh, Phillip Noyce (“Dead Calm”), Wim Wenders (“Wings of Desire”), Percy Adlon (“Bagdad Cafe”), Ira Sachs (“Keep the Lights On”), Andrew Haigh (“Weekend”), and Jonathan Caouette (“Tarnation”).

His extensive partnership with film director Gus Van Sant, 71, included notable projects such as “Drugstore Cowboy,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” and “My Own Private Idaho,” where he portrayed Daddy Carroll alongside Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix.