Laguna Beach : Richard Chamberlain’s Father Dies at 82
Charles Chamberlain, the father of actor Richard Chamberlain and a worldwide speaker on alcoholism and the recovering alcoholic, died last month of emphysema at his Laguna Beach home. He was 82.
Chamberlain had worked with recovering alcoholics for 39 years, hundreds of whom paid their respects to him at a memorial service in Laguna Beach last week, a family member said.
A spokesman for Alcoholics Anonymous said several memorial services are planned to honor Chamberlain in the near future.
Born in Indiana, Chamberlain moved to Los Angeles when he was 19. He was active in real estate and supermarket development before buying City Refrigerator Inc. in 1956. He and a son, William of Anaheim Hills, ran the business for 14 years. A resident of Laguna Beach for 26 years, Chamberlain retired in 1970.
Chamberlain’s body was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
Besides his two sons, he is survived by his wife of 59 years, Elsa; three grandchildren and three sisters.
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