Advocate and businesswoman Jewel Thais-Williams has passed away on July 7th, 2025, of unspecified causes, according to her sister Carol Williams. Considered the matriarch of Los Angeles’ Black LGBTQ+ community, she leaves behind a legacy of cultural, humanitarian, and spiritual welfare for the Los Angeles area.
The news of her death drew tributes from dignitaries throughout the city, including Mayor Karen Bass, who remembered that she “…led with warmth and compassion in a time when acceptance was not always a popular act.”
Upon learning of her demise, Supervisor Holly Mitchell issued the following statement at the Board of Supervisors meeting:
“Today, I adjourned in memory of Jewel Thais-Williams, a beloved activist, entrepreneur, and guiding light who embodied inter-sectional leadership, fighting for our Black and LGBTQ+ communities.”
Born on May 9, 1939, Thais-Williams was a transplant from Gary, Ind. who graduated from UCLA in 1971, during a time in Los Angeles where people of color were unwelcome anywhere north of Wilshire Blvd.
By 1973, having recognized the prejudice against the gay LGBTQ+ and the need for safe haven for an under served populace, she purchased a ballroom at 4067 W Pico Blvd. in the Arlington Heights neighborhood. Renamed “Jewel’s Catch One,” it quickly became the west coast equivalent of New York City’s Studio 54, and a focal point for its demographic’s social and political interests.
In short order “the Catch” became a hot spot, attracting celebrities like Rick James, Chaka Khan, Madonna, Sharon Stone, and Luther Vandross.
By the 1980s, the gay community was confronted with another hurdle apart from homophobia and social harassment. The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, soon known simply as AIDS, was diagnosed among gay men in North America, and Thais-Williams shifted her advocacy into the realm of healthcare and medicine. By 1985 she’d co-founded the Minority AIDS Project along with Archbishop Carl Bean. Her other activities included the Imani Unidos Food Pantry, and serving on the Board of AIDS Project Los Angeles.
Thais-Williams’ concern for healthcare transitioned into a curiosity about alternative medicine, an interest she pursued by traveling to mainland China on a work-study program.
By the turn of the millennium, she’d established a non-profit health foundation next door to her nightclub, offering medical treatment for donations on a sliding pay scale.
As the years passed, accolades in recognition of her efforts accrued. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay produced the 2018 Netflix eponymous documentary about the impact of her dance venue “Jewel’s Catch One.” The following year, City Councilman Herb Wesson dedicated the intersection outside “the Catch” as Jewel Thais-Williams Square.
The Southern California nonprofit APLA Health issued the following statement on its instagram and website:
“…her legacy transcends nightlife, reverberating through community health, advocacy, and the fight for acceptance and safety.”
A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, July 27, from 3 to 8 PM in the sanctuary and landmark she founded at 4067 W Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
Jewel Thais-Williams is survived by her spouse, Rue Thais-Williams.