Facenda, of course, made his name at the station as an evening news anchorman and later as the voice of NFL Films.
London later amassed a vast collection of couture and film costumes that were taken on worldwide tours. His niece, Sherie Yulish Brenner, recalled how Gene loved interacting with people.
“He would have lines of a hundred people waiting to speak with him to ask him questions or share stories about seeing him on TV and what kind of impact he had made on them,” she told KYW Newsradio.
London and his longtime partner, John Thomas, married in 2016 and split their time between homes in Reading, Pennsylvania and Florida. He died Sunday after taking a fall in their Reading home.
London’s last clothing show concluded last month in Allentown, but Thomas says the tour will continue with bookings scheduled through next year.
Funeral services in Cleveland will be private and he will be laid to rest beside his parents. Plans are in the works for a public memorial in Philadelphia, which has not yet been scheduled.
Gene London was 88.