Naked body found off ritzy Malibu coast identified as composer with ‘beautiful’ voice
A man found dead in the water off Malibu, California, has been identified as Braden Pontoli, a 36-year-old composer, conductor and "sound healer" remembered by loved ones for his warm baritone voice. He was found naked and unresponsive on Wednesday afternoon by Los Angeles County Fire Department crews after reports of a body in the water near Malibu Lagoon, having been reported missing days earlier by his partner ahead of a scheduled job interview in Santa Monica.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office determined Pontoli suffered blunt trauma and died on Tuesday, ruling his death a suicide. He was a member of the Claremont Chorale and served as music director at Claremont United Methodist Church, and had a sound-installation residency planned in Iceland for 2027. His partner, Tommy Lei, and sister, McKenna Potter, along with friends and colleagues, have paid tribute to him online, describing him as gracious, kind and deeply loved.
- Composer Braden Pontoli, 36, found dead off Malibu coast
- Death ruled a suicide after blunt trauma, medical examiner says
- He directed music at a Claremont church, had Iceland residency planned
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Braden Pontoli was a 36-year-old composer, conductor and "sound healer" based in the Los Angeles area, known within his community for his baritone singing voice. He was reported missing by his partner shortly before he was due to attend a job interview, and was later found dead in the water near Malibu Lagoon, a coastal area of Los Angeles County.
Pontoli was an active figure in the local music scene, singing with the Claremont Chorale and serving as music director at Claremont United Methodist Church, and he had been due to take up a sound-installation residency in Iceland in 2027. He is survived by his partner, Tommy Lei, and his sister, McKenna Potter, among a wider circle of friends and colleagues in the arts community.
The case has drawn attention partly because of the setting, an affluent stretch of Malibu coastline, and because investigators have had to establish how he died. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office is the official body responsible for determining cause and manner of death in such cases.