Mel Haber, one of the Coachella Valley's most iconic figures as the longtime owner of the Ingleside Inn and Melvyn's Restaurant in Palm Springs, died Tuesday morning after a battle with lung cancer. He had just turned 80 the day before.
An active charity figure as well as an operator of restaurants and nightclubs, Haber often regaled listeners with stories about the famous folks — and a few mobsters — who had dined or lodged at his establishments during his 41-plus years in business.
Many of the stars that dined at Melvyn's had their pictures gracing the walls of the restaurants. The hit parade of celebrities included Lucille Ball, John Travolta, Cher, Bob and Dolores Hope, Barry Manilow, Jerry Lewis, Joan Collins, Larry King, Liberace, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Sidney Sheldon, Donald Trump, Gerald Ford, Goldie Hawn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Sinatra had his pre-wedding party at Melvyn's.
Mel grew up in Brooklyn, where he said he often encountered mobsters. He became president of Wallfrin Industries, which manufactures automotive novelties and was the largest producer of bobblehead dolls for dashboards. He moved to California in 1974 and purchased the Ingleside Inn in 1975 after falling in love with it on a vacation from Los Angeles. In 1979, he became a celebrity in his own right when the late Morley Safer, doing a story on Palm Springs from an outsider's point of view for the CBS news magazine, "60 Minutes," quoted Haber as saying Palm Springs was the home of the "creme de la creme." So people who dined at Melvyn's in the Ingleside Inn were "the creme de la creme of the creme de la creme."
Mel was a sweet, kind and amazing man, Who will be missed by many!
Mel was also well-known for his charitable work, having served for a quarter of a century as president of the Angel View Foundation, an organization that helps children and adults with disabilities. More recently, he joined the board of directors of SafeHouse of the Desert, an organization dedicated to the well-being of homeless, abandoned and abused children.
An active charity figure as well as an operator of restaurants and nightclubs, Haber often regaled listeners with stories about the famous folks — and a few mobsters — who had dined or lodged at his establishments during his 41-plus years in business.
Many of the stars that dined at Melvyn's had their pictures gracing the walls of the restaurants. The hit parade of celebrities included Lucille Ball, John Travolta, Cher, Bob and Dolores Hope, Barry Manilow, Jerry Lewis, Joan Collins, Larry King, Liberace, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Sidney Sheldon, Donald Trump, Gerald Ford, Goldie Hawn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Sinatra had his pre-wedding party at Melvyn's.
Mel grew up in Brooklyn, where he said he often encountered mobsters. He became president of Wallfrin Industries, which manufactures automotive novelties and was the largest producer of bobblehead dolls for dashboards. He moved to California in 1974 and purchased the Ingleside Inn in 1975 after falling in love with it on a vacation from Los Angeles. In 1979, he became a celebrity in his own right when the late Morley Safer, doing a story on Palm Springs from an outsider's point of view for the CBS news magazine, "60 Minutes," quoted Haber as saying Palm Springs was the home of the "creme de la creme." So people who dined at Melvyn's in the Ingleside Inn were "the creme de la creme of the creme de la creme."
Mel was a sweet, kind and amazing man, Who will be missed by many!
Mel was also well-known for his charitable work, having served for a quarter of a century as president of the Angel View Foundation, an organization that helps children and adults with disabilities. More recently, he joined the board of directors of SafeHouse of the Desert, an organization dedicated to the well-being of homeless, abandoned and abused children.
Mel Haber, one of the Coachella Valley's most iconic figures as the longtime owner of the Ingleside Inn and Melvyn's Restaurant in Palm Springs, died Tuesday morning after a battle with lung cancer. He had just turned 80 the day before.
An active charity figure as well as an operator of restaurants and nightclubs, Haber often regaled listeners with stories about the famous folks — and a few mobsters — who had dined or lodged at his establishments during his 41-plus years in business.
Many of the stars that dined at Melvyn's had their pictures gracing the walls of the restaurants. The hit parade of celebrities included Lucille Ball, John Travolta, Cher, Bob and Dolores Hope, Barry Manilow, Jerry Lewis, Joan Collins, Larry King, Liberace, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Sidney Sheldon, Donald Trump, Gerald Ford, Goldie Hawn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Sinatra had his pre-wedding party at Melvyn's.
Mel grew up in Brooklyn, where he said he often encountered mobsters. He became president of Wallfrin Industries, which manufactures automotive novelties and was the largest producer of bobblehead dolls for dashboards. He moved to California in 1974 and purchased the Ingleside Inn in 1975 after falling in love with it on a vacation from Los Angeles. In 1979, he became a celebrity in his own right when the late Morley Safer, doing a story on Palm Springs from an outsider's point of view for the CBS news magazine, "60 Minutes," quoted Haber as saying Palm Springs was the home of the "creme de la creme." So people who dined at Melvyn's in the Ingleside Inn were "the creme de la creme of the creme de la creme."
Mel was a sweet, kind and amazing man, Who will be missed by many!
Mel was also well-known for his charitable work, having served for a quarter of a century as president of the Angel View Foundation, an organization that helps children and adults with disabilities. More recently, he joined the board of directors of SafeHouse of the Desert, an organization dedicated to the well-being of homeless, abandoned and abused children.
An active charity figure as well as an operator of restaurants and nightclubs, Haber often regaled listeners with stories about the famous folks — and a few mobsters — who had dined or lodged at his establishments during his 41-plus years in business.
Many of the stars that dined at Melvyn's had their pictures gracing the walls of the restaurants. The hit parade of celebrities included Lucille Ball, John Travolta, Cher, Bob and Dolores Hope, Barry Manilow, Jerry Lewis, Joan Collins, Larry King, Liberace, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Sidney Sheldon, Donald Trump, Gerald Ford, Goldie Hawn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Sinatra had his pre-wedding party at Melvyn's.
Mel grew up in Brooklyn, where he said he often encountered mobsters. He became president of Wallfrin Industries, which manufactures automotive novelties and was the largest producer of bobblehead dolls for dashboards. He moved to California in 1974 and purchased the Ingleside Inn in 1975 after falling in love with it on a vacation from Los Angeles. In 1979, he became a celebrity in his own right when the late Morley Safer, doing a story on Palm Springs from an outsider's point of view for the CBS news magazine, "60 Minutes," quoted Haber as saying Palm Springs was the home of the "creme de la creme." So people who dined at Melvyn's in the Ingleside Inn were "the creme de la creme of the creme de la creme."
Mel was a sweet, kind and amazing man, Who will be missed by many!
Mel was also well-known for his charitable work, having served for a quarter of a century as president of the Angel View Foundation, an organization that helps children and adults with disabilities. More recently, he joined the board of directors of SafeHouse of the Desert, an organization dedicated to the well-being of homeless, abandoned and abused children.
Gravesite Details
Buried next to his son Lonnie.
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