Celebrity Attractions President Larry Payton Dies at Age 64

The president of a group responsible for bringing musicals and other shows through Lubbock and a number of other communities has died.

Larry Payton, president of Celebrity Attractions, died Monday, February 18^th just before 10 p.m. at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 64 years old.

Payton and his wife, Kay, founded Celebrity Attractions in 1983, which has presented major theatrical, musical, and family entertainment in seven different regional markets, including Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Springfield, Missouri; Amarillo, Texas; Abilene, Texas; and Lubbock.

He also invested in several shows for both Broadway and the road, including Kinky Boots, Grease, Legally Blonde, Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway, the road, and in London, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Peter Pan, for which he won a Tony Award.

Payton was acknowledged by The Broadway League as the recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management Award, and by the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce as the recipient of the 1997 Small Business Person of the Year Award.

Celebrity Attractions first began presenting performances in Lubbock in 1996.

He was most recently in Lubbock last Thursday to discuss the state of the City Bank Auditorium with the Lubbock City Council, following incidents where air conditioning units failed during Celebrity Attractions performances.

Celebrity Attractions will present Monty Python’s Spamalot this weekend at the Lubbock City Bank Auditorium.