SOCIALManny: J.R. Ridinger Celebration of Life
To honor the Market America founder, his wife and daughter were surrounded by friends including Alicia Keys - who sang a tribute - Kim Kardashian and DJ Khaled.
Loren Ridinger and her daughter Amber Ridinger Mclaughlin threw a celebration of life for J.R. Ridinger after the founder of Market America | SHOP.com died suddenly at age 63.
J.R. Ridinger “changed the landscape of entrepreneurship through his unparalleled leadership qualities, inspiring those around him and paving the road for many to follow,” according to a press release. “Despite his stature in his professional life…, he maintained a level of humility and dignity that was rare to find. JR was known to have many titles during his life – his favorites were Husband, Dad and Pop Pop.”
The event at Faena Forum was attended by some of the biggest names in entertainment including Jamie Foxx, Ja Rule, Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys – who sang a tribute – Alejandro Sanz, Fat Joe, Lennox Lewis, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, DJ Khaled, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who the next day wrote on her Instagram account: “My beautiful friend has lost the love of her life of 30 plus years. Last night we celebrated JR’s life and even through all the deep pain and endless tears of the past month we got to smile, reminisce and even #DanceAgain… he would’ve loved it!! RIP JR…we got your girl…”
Loren Ridinger, who has been posting her pain and gratitude on social media told her friends on Facebook: “From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for the outpouring of love and support. Saturday was one of the toughest days of my life. While I am still utterly heartbroken, it’s comforting to see just how many people truly loved JR.”
Celebrity photographer Manny Hernandez was there, capturing with his lens the sentiment, the song and the celebration.
Manny Hernandez has been covering Miami’s social, lifestyle and art scenes for more than 30 years. Manny was born and raised in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and is a proud alumnus of Miami-Dade College and Florida International University. His contributions are showcased weekly in The Miami Herald, Ocean Drive and Indulge magazines and his popular and much anticipated photo gallery, SOCIAL Manny, on SocialMiami.com. His images have also appeared in countless publications, including: Paper Magazine, Vanity Fair, People, Vogue and Rolling Stone.
In 2018, Manny was honored as one of the 12 Good Men by the Ronald McDonald House Charities and co-produced along with Broadway producer Richard Jay-Alexander, an exhibit in honor of famed press agent Charlie Cinnamon at the FIU Jewish Museum.
Manny recently authored his first book, CANDIDS Miami (Wynwood Books).
