The first line in the email said everything. "Buffalo lost a part of its soul yesterday with the passing of Joseph Giambra," a family representative wrote in a note about the death of a civic legend.

Giambra – almost always known as "Joey" – died at 86 late Thursday in a Covid-19 wing at Buffalo General Medical Center. He had been hospitalized since April 25. "I am saddened to hear of Joe Giambra's passing," Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement. "His contributions to Buffalo's music and theater community will be felt for years to come."