Pamela Lillard, a long-time resident of Topanga Canyon, passed away unexpectedly on May 13.
Pamela had a gorgeous and versatile voice, which one critic described as “honey and vinegar,” and wrote hundreds of songs. She produced many albums, most recently with Grammy-award recipient David Reitzas.
Pamela built a beautiful home overlooking Topanga Canyon. She had a true gift for design and was a great lover of nature, relishing hikes in Topanga.
She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and spent her teenage years near Chicago. Pam graduated from Lake Forest College and went on to get a second degree in Music from Columbia College in Chicago. She later completed a Master’s in film scoring from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, winning an award for her work.
Pamela provided a loving home for her son John, whom she adopted in 2014. It was for his education that she increasingly resided in Austin, so John could attend a school there. Pamela was married twice, briefly to Vadim Perelman and later for 16 years to Carlos Novais.
A family service was held May 29 at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois, where her ashes were interred in a family plot. All of her extended family attended. A second memorial service was provided by her good friends in Los Angeles in June. Pamela had become a devout Christian in recent years. Her last journal ended with the words, “God is love.”
In addition to her son John, Pamela is succeeded by her loving parents and four sisters. Pamela also had many soul sisters and brothers who loved her deeply.
Pamela was known for her generosity of spirit; she adored giving gifts, had a wonderful sense of humor and an exuberant laugh. We miss her profoundly. She left us the gift of her music, more of which will be posted in the coming months on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that people make a donation to Austin Montessori School in Austin, Texas.
