LOS ANGELES — Free tickets for a “celebration of life” in honor of famed LA mountain lion P-22 were quickly distributed Monday, but organizers said the Feb. 4 event at the Greek Theatre will be live-streamed for those who were unable to snag a seat.
The event is free, but tickets are required. The tickets became available at 9 a.m. Monday through Ticketmaster, but by midday they were all claimed.
Officials with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area assured residents via Twitter that “there will be a live stream of the celebration,” although exact details were still being finalized.
No other details of the event itself have been released, but the two-hour celebration is expected to include musical performances, dancing and food, along with people speaking “about their connections to P-22.”
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![Mountain lion P-22 is seen in the Griffith Park area...]()
Mountain lion P-22 is seen in the Griffith Park area in November 2014. (National Park Service, via AP, File)
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![P-22 in 2014, after the mountain lion moved in under...]()
P-22 in 2014, after the mountain lion moved in under a Los Angeles home, and despite wildlife workers using a prod and firing tennis balls and bean bags at him, was unwilling to move. (National Park Service via AP, File)
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![P-22 roams. (Courtesy of the National Park Service)]()
P-22 roams. (Courtesy of the National Park Service)
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![Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area National Park Service biologists...]()
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area National Park Service biologists Joanne Moriarty and Jeff Sikich measure P-22’s incisors during his capture on March 27, 2014 (National Park Service via AP)
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![P-22 left his mother in the Topanga State Park in...]()
P-22 left his mother in the Topanga State Park in 2012, traveled 20 miles and crossed two freeways to choose his home in an 8-mile square area around Griffith Park. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service)
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![P-22 when he was captured and transported to a wild...]()
P-22 when he was captured and transported to a wild animal care facility for a full health evaluation on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. Wildlife experts said he was drastically underweight and probably was injured by a car. (The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, via AP, File)
The lion was euthanized Dec. 17 after being examined by wildlife officials who captured the cat following recent signs of distress, including a series of attacks on pet dogs in the area.
The lion, one of many Southern California-area cats being tracked by National Park Service researchers, gained fame locally for his persistence and durability, successfully managing to cross both the 405 and 101 freeways to reach his recent roaming grounds in the Griffith Park area.
Known as the “Hollywood Cat,” P-22 became the face of the NPS’s program to track local lions in the Santa Monica Mountains. His exploits were documented in various media accounts, including his daring freeway crossings, hiding out under a Los Feliz home in a standoff that drew widespread attention and even being named a suspect in the killing of a koala at the Los Angeles Zoo.
He was believed to be about 11 or 12 years old, making him the oldest cat in the NPS’ study of Southland lions. He is believed to have been born in the Santa Monica Mountains, somehow finding his way to his tiny, nine-square-mile home in Griffith Park, separated from his birth area by two of the busiest freeways in the world.
Defying expectations, he persisted for more than 10 years in the smallest home range that has ever been recorded for an adult male mountain lion.
He was initially captured and outfitted with a tracking collar in 2012. At the time of his last capture, he weighed 123 pounds.
After he was captured last month, wildlife experts said P-22 had facial injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
Experts ultimately made the decision to humanely euthanize the animal at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where he was being treated, to spare him further suffering.
“P-22’s advanced age, combined with chronic, debilitating, life-shortening conditions and the clear need for extensive long-term veterinary intervention left P-22 with no hope for a positive outcome,” according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The cat’s remains have since been taken to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, but exactly what will be done with them remains unknown.
Local tribal leaders — who consider cougars to be sacred — have objected to the suggestion that the lion be placed on display at the museum, arguing instead that he be buried in Griffith Park.
“Decisions regarding next steps will continue to be made together with local tribes, with more information provided as it becomes available,” museum officials said in a statement last month.
