LOS ANGELES—Ron Rogers, who died at his ranch in Colorado last week after a lengthy battle with cancer, was a public relations industry maverick and pioneer who built one of the biggest and best independent firms in Los Angeles his own way.

The son of Henry Rogers—founder of Rogers & Cowan and a giant in the entertainment PR realm—Ron Rogers elected to strike out on his own in 1978 with the creation of Rogers & Associates (later The Rogers Group) and became best known for his work in the crisis communications space (helping Suzuki Motor Company fight back against media coverage of an existential rollover crisis) and social marketing (supporting California’s massive anti-tobacco educations efforts).

Rogers’ firm represented a host of blue-chip brands, including Coca-Cola, Honda, and Kellogg’s, as well as numerous public sector clients. The firm was acquired by Ruder Finn in 2011 and later became part of Finn Partners after that firm was spun off.

“Though I only knew Ron for the past six years, I feel as if I knew him forever and will always consider him a great friend,” says Peter Finn, founding managing partner at Finn Partners. “What distinguished him most is that he was a true gentleman and one of the more honorable individuals I have ever met. All of us at Finn Partners will miss Ron, and we deeply mourn his passing.”

Rogers was an institution in Los Angeles for his pro bono efforts, all of which were part of his strong belief in giving back to the local community.

For more than 33 years, Rogers was on the board of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital. He was a founding board member of the Los Angeles Police Foundation and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. He was vice chair of the board of the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, a board member of the LA Chamber of Commerce, and a founding board member of the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research. 

“Ron was an absolute legend in the Los Angeles PR community” adds Richard Funess, senior managing partner, Finn Partners. “He and I go back many years to my time working in LA. Though we were competitors, we also grew to be very good friends. I couldn’t have been happier when he made the decision to join forces with Finn Partners in 2011. He was just a terrific guy and I will miss him greatly.”

Rogers is survived by his wife Lisa Specht.