Beloved 17th Street bartender Joey Phalin dies at 43
Joseph C. “Joey” Phalin, who worked from 2002 to 2021 as a bartender at the 17th Street gay bars Cobalt and JR.’s and who became a beloved figure to his customers and friends near Dupont Circle, died unexpectedly on Sept.
8 in Rochester, N.Y., where he had moved last year, according to a social media post by his brother, James Phalin. For those who may not have seen his brother’s announcement, many who knew Joey Phalin learned of his passing from a Facebook post by JR.’s last weekend. “It is with a heavy heart that JR’s announces the recent passing of a longtime JR’s bartender, Joey Phalin, who passed away suddenly at the tail end of last week in Rochester, N.Y,” the JR’s announcement says. “Joey spent nearly two decades behind the bars at both Cobalt (2002-2006) and JR’s (2006-2021) and was a regular figure on 17th Street and in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood,” the announcement continues. “During his time at JR’s, Joey made amazingly strong connections with everyone he met.” Although the official announcements have not disclosed a cause of death, friends and others who knew Phalin said he died by suicide.
His brother James’s social media posting says that in lieu of flowers for upcoming memorial celebrations of Phalin’s life, contributions may be made to the Joshua York Foundation, which is dedicated to suicide prevention. “JR’s will be hosting a ‘Celebration of Life’ for Joey on Saturday, 17 September 2022 from 4 p.m.
to 8 p.m.,” the JR’s announcement says. “We hope that you will come out to share great stories about Joey and toast to his lasting memory,” it says. “Joey is survived by his loving fiancé Andy [Heline], his dog Bouncer, his family, and innumerable friends,” the JR’s announcement says. “On behalf of the
