The victim of an early Friday shooting in Santa Rosa has been identified as longtime Condor Club general manager Mark Calcagni, Santa Rosa police told Gazetteer Monday evening.
Wolfgang Welch, the general manager at the nearby Vanity nightclub, first confirmed Calcagni’s death to Gazetteer Monday afternoon. Calcagni, who was 60, was, until recently, also the manager at Vanity.
NBC Bay Area reported Friday that a man was fatally shot, seemingly either heading to or returning from work. His body was found in a bike lane by a commuter Friday morning. Police have not yet identified a suspect.
Calcagni’s death is a profound loss for the North Beach’s nightlife community, where the storied nightclub that he operated served as a tentpole, Welch said.
Located at the corner of Broadway and Columbus Ave. in North Beach, Condor Club opened in 1958 and is a Legacy Business famous the world over as the birthplace of topless dancing and the longtime performing home to Carol Doda.
“He was a really great guy,” Welch told Gazetteer. “He always spoke so highly of keeping the community and the family as strong and tied together as he could; he was always a ‘willing to take his shirt off to give it to someone else’ kind of guy.”
Leanna Louie, the former supervisor candidate and recall proponent, also spoke highly of Calcagni. He was a regular diner at My Canh, the North Beach Vietnamese restaurant she owns. They first met as she was flyering outside the restaurant, she said.
“He would greet me with a friendly smile and say ‘Hello. How is business?’” Louie told Gazetteer in a text message.
Representatives for the Condor Club did not immediately return Gazetteer SF’s calls.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include confirmation from Santa Rosa police.
