'JEWEL OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD' BURGESS, NEWSSTAND CLERK, DIES.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

SHERMAN OAKS - He brought smiles to the faces of passing motorists. Heard the cares of customers. Handed out toys to children. And for decades was a fixture at the landmark Sherman Oaks Newsstand.

Gregory Mark Burgess, the artist clerk whose smile had cheered passers-by at Van Nuys and Ventura boulevards since the early 1980s, died Monday of a heart attack. He was 59.

News of his death raced this week across the blogosphere. Drew calls of condolences from Jay Leno's office. And shocked a Sherman Oaks community longing for the ZZ Top-like hot-rodder perched each evening with a copy of your favorite news mag or paper.

``He was the jewel of the neighborhood,'' said Jon Crowley, 49, a TV producer, writer and director who lives near the 57-year-old stand. ``He knew everybody. He cared for everybody. He belonged to everybody.

``He was the outdoor bartender ... but instead of pouring a drink, he'd pour out words of wisdom.''

Burgess, a native of Columbus, Ohio, was raised in Covina and the inland town of Perris, where he developed a life-long love of hot rods, Harleys and high-heeled curves.

A hell-raiser, he raced drag bikes, wrenched on top-fuel dragsters - and spent at least one night in jail for joy-riding the fire chief's car.

In the early 1980s, Burgess got his curbside job at the Sherman Oaks Newsstand. For awhile he sold magazines on Melrose Avenue and became a distributor. Then he returned to become the sage of Sherman Oaks.

And if he didn't know your name, he would always greet you as simply as ``Bud,'' or ``Pardner.''

Sunday through Thursday, rain or shine - Burgess always had a joke. A smile. Some advice. Or a copy of your favorite ``Forbes'' or ``Easy Rider'' tucked beneath the register. Leno of ``Tonight Show'' and Max Baer of ``The Beverly Hillbillies'' were regulars.

Toddlers walking by with moms got hot-rod toys that Burgess made at home.

Teens who spilled their troubles referred to him as ``Dad.''

And the crush of motorists, if they weren't pulling over for the latest edition, saw Burgess twinkle and point in their direction.

``He always told kids to stay off drugs,'' said Marck Sarfati, owner of Sherman Oaks Newsstands, who considered Burgess more friend than employee.

``Every year at Christmas, I'd pass out bonuses. And Greg was always the first person on the phone saying, 'You didn't have to do it.'''

Will Campbell recalls the day he hopped off his bike to help a stranded Porsche - and got a standing ovation from Burgess.

``He was part of that corner, so different from what that neighborhood projected - south-of-the-boulevard, tony,'' said Campbell, 41, of Silver Lake. ``He was street, credibility, he was real.''

When he wasn't peddling news, the man whose favorite artists are Jackson Pollack and Von Dutch loved to tour art galleries, cars shows or create ``rockabilly'' art with homemade frames. His company, Scavenger Enterprises, fashioned model cars.

On Sunday, Burgess complained of being tired. Early Monday, he complained of chest pains to his longtime girlfriend, Adriana Guidi, then collapsed in their apartment a mile from the stand. He died soon afterward at Sherman Oaks Hospital.

Burgess is survived by a son, Timothy Burgess, 24, of Upland; a daughter, Kimberly Burgess, 33, of Covina; and a granddaughter.

No service is planned. Guidi said she hopes to arrange a hot-rod show in his honor.

Once, when eyeballing art in Orange County, Guidi said Burgess noticed a statue of the famous Laguna Beach greeter.

``He said, 'When I take the dirt nap, they'll put a statue like that for me at the newsstand.'''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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Gregory Mark Burgess, with his trademark beard and broad smile, sold magazines and doled out free advice to anyone and everyone who stopped at the landmark Sherman Oaks Newsstand at the corner of Ventura and Van Nuys boulevards.