Nashville's Broadway reeling after popular Tin Roof bartender Brian Hall's death
A popular, years-long Nashville bartender who most recently worked at the Tin Roof on Broadway died this week, leading to a flood of community support on social media.
Brian Hall was described by those who knew him best as a "staple" among Nashville bartenders.
“Everybody knows him as the go-to fun guy," said Alissandra Inzunza, a close friend of Hall’s for about 10 years and a fellow Nashville bartender. "He would just light the room up.”
A celebration of life is planned for Hall at the Tin Roof Broadway, 316 Broadway, at 5 p.m. on Nov. 13, according to his friends and social media posts. Police found the 36-year-old's body late Wednesday after being called to a residence on Demonbreun Street, Metro Police said.
A cause of death wasn't immediately known, but police said Friday there was nothing to indicate foul play.
Hall’s first job in Music City was working security at Bar Louie as a way to break into the business, said Ty Waldron, another close friend who was also Hall's roommate for several years.
“He built his way into being known as one of best bartenders in Nashville, one of most interactive, kind and fun," Waldron said. "Whatever bar he was at, he drew a crowd."
“Genuine” was among the descriptions that came up numerous times on social media along with “selfless,” “charismatic” and “clever.” Hall had worked at several downtown bars over the past 10 years, after moving to Nashville from Wisconsin.
Candace Faith Kuykendall was new to the service industry in Nashville when she met Hall in 2019.
“I had no clue what I was doing then, and he was one of those people who was very encouraging to me,” she said. “We lost touch during COVID, and I ran into him about a year ago, and he gave me a hug, asked about my kids and remembered everything about me. I recently got sober, and I saw him a week and a half ago, and he asked me, ‘how many days (of sobriety)?’
"He was a genuine person who cared about people.”
Inzunza agreed.
"He was probably the most empathetic and loyal friend a person could ask for," she said. "...Aside from being the life of the party, he was just a good human being."
Hall, a Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks fan, had plans to move into bar management at a future, soon-to-open Nashville establishment, Waldron said.
“He was ecstatic about that,” Waldron said. “He would do anything for anybody. A shirt off your back kind of guy. There are thousands of examples of how he did that.”
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Celebration of life planned for popular Nashville bartender Brian Hall
