We have recently learned of the passing of John Turner class of 1965. He died July 3, 2026 in Berkeley, California. He is survived by his sister Georgia Carol Turner Portocarrero OHS 1963 and brother Richard Turner OHS 1961.
A longtime producer (KGO-TV San Francisco ABC7), and creative artist in multiple mediums, his art can be found in galleries and art centers across the nation, including the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI and the Firehouse Art Collective Gilman Studios in Berkeley, CA. He also collaborated with Eric Christensen to direct and produce the film Korla: The Movie, a documentary about Korla Pandit, once known as the Godfather of Exotica Music. John had an affinity for the folk artist Howard Finster and wrote a book about him: "Howard Finster: Man of Visions"
John and brother Richard were nominated and entered the Okemos Alumni Hall of Fame for Arts in 2020. (Click to read the biographies)
John's Amazon author bio: About the author
John Turner worked in television as a news editor and arts producer. He curated shows for the the Smithsonian, the Museum of American Folk Art and was the adjunct curator of Twentieth-Century American Folk Art at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco. He has written numerous articles on folk art, travel and popular culture and is the author of Howard Finster, Man of Visions; The Life and Art of a Self-Taught Artist; Leeteg of Tahiti: Paintings from the Villa Velour; and Create and Be Recognized: Photography on the Edge. He was the director of a documentary, Korla, that ran nationally on television. Besides carved coconut heads, John collects outsider art, trade signs, photography and postcards, which he alters by painting on them.
A Facebook post on July 4, 2026 by John's friend Kai Wada Roath includes comments from many of John's friends.
"My good friend John Turner left this world yesterday afternoon for the next better one. I was very fortunate to visit him one more time in the morning before I headed to the airport to fly to Wisconsin where I will be donating some of his photography to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center tomorrow.
"I met John 11 years ago when I showed his Korla Pandit documentary at the Balboa. We became instant friends and over the years we would share meals almost every other month at “Silk Road cuisine” restaurants.
"An artist, author and world traveler with a passion for obscure destinations, both John and I also shared a love for folk art environments. He despised my long “shaggy dog” jokes, but I loved to tell them to him anyways whenever he was trapped on a car ride with me. I am glad I got to tell him a few more on my visits to see him this week…he wasn’t.
"I vowed two promises to him yesterday. The first, to visit Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden in Georgia next year, and second, to put up a historic plaque for Korla Pandit, which we wrote the wording together yesterday.
"John, your spirit, friendship and humor will be missed by many of us."
Published April 23, 1965 Lansing State Journal
Published April 23, 1965 Lansing State Journal
Korla Pandit - Godfather of Exotica Music
- Korla Pandit by John Turner and Eric Christensen - YouTube short video
- John Turner on Korla Pandit - YouTube interview with John Turner
- Korla: The Movie website for documentary by John Turner and Eric Christensen
"The documentary “Korla” explores the career and extraordinary life of Korla Pandit. Filmmakers Eric Christiansen and John Turner grew up in the San Francisco’s Bay Area listening to Korla Pandit’s music and watching his show on TV. The two filmmakers worked together for more than 30 years in San Francisco’s KGO-TV, where Korla Pandit aired on a live show in the 1960s. Christiansen and Turner fell under Korla Pandit’s spell learning about Korla’s true identity in a Los Angeles magazine revelation in 2001, 3 years after Korla pandit died. Korla Pandit was a slight man with a beautiful smile who spouted pearls of wisdom regarding the universal universality of music and how he could get along better. It was not easy to question a person with such ideals."
- KORLA: The Movie - Review by Matias Bombal's Hollywood on YouTube
- Korla Pandit - Wikipedia
- Korla The Movie - Facebook page
Published July 29, 2015 San Fransisco Chronicle
Published August 17, 2015 San Francisco Chronicle
