Supervisors to honor “Soloist” Ayers

Nathaniel Ayers, the mentally ill homeless musician whose story was told in the book and movie “The Soloist,” will be honored by the Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday.

Supervisors will present Ayers, 59, with a scroll in recognition of his upcoming trip to represent Los Angeles County and people with mental illness at a White House celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The celebration marks the 20^th anniversary of the landmark legislation that ensures equality for disabled Americans.

Ayers was a talented double-bassist living on Skid Row with schizophrenia when Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez befriended him. The friendship became the basis for the movie starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.

When he goes to Washington for the July 28 celebration, Ayers will carry a second scroll from the Board of Supervisors for President Obama, which commends him for, among other things, his commitment to the mental health community.

Ayers will travel to Washington with his sister, Jennifer Ayers-Moore, who founded the Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation, which raises money for arts programs serving the mentally ill.

Posted 7/15/10