Stevo Vidnovic

May 14, 1951 - May 6, 2025

Stevo Vidnovic - musician, sculptor, actor, cartoonist, and self-declared pirate - was struck and killed while riding his bicycle in Eureka. The collision claimed the life of one of Humboldt County's most eccentric and creative spirits. He was in his seventies.

Stevo first came to Eureka in 1971, following a high school friend from South Pasadena. He never left. "In that 50 years that I've been here," he said in a recent Access Humboldt interview, "I've been very fortunate to make my living in some field of creative arts." Whether drawing comic strips for Comic Relief in the 1980s, playing bass in one of his many bands, or building props and characters for independent films, Stevo was always working, always imagining, always performing.

Steve's creative reach was wide and whimsical. He played theremin - an early electronic instrument that's played without physical contact, "grabbing the notes in the air," he explained. His band The Good Time Charlie regularly performed around Humboldt and once took the stage at the Bandshell in Golden Gate Park, a moment he described as one of the highlights of his  life.

He sculpted. He painted. He wrote songs and acted in quirky roles - usually villains, he joked, blaming his "crazy eyebrows and angularity. "He was cast in the independent film Flea, and more locally, delighted Access Humboldt audiences with monologues delivered in pirate garb, channeling everything from ghostly lighthouse keepers to the true inventor of Christmas lights.

Above all, Stevo embodied joy, curiosity, and a kind of wild generosity of spirit. "You're going to leave some of your vibe on that stage," a friend told him about playing the Bandshell. Stevo did. Not just on that stage, but across every canvas, in every tune, and throughout a community that embraced his art.

He once noted that Humboldt has "more artists per capita in the whole United States," and added "That's probably one of the reasons I've stayed here." We're grateful that he did.

Rest in peace, Stevo. You had the Humboldt vibe.

Redheaded Blackbelt, May 8, 2025