Howard Bragman, a publicist who, like many in his line of work, often helped the famous and the reluctantly famous navigate embarrassing or volatile spotlight moments, but who also had a specialty of advising clients who were coming out of the closet, died on Saturday in Los Angeles.
He was 66. The cause was leukemia, his family said in a statement. Mr. Bragman was a familiar face in news coverage and on television shows like “Good Morning America,” whether talking about particular clients or about the art of public relations and damage control.
Over his career he handled plenty of garden-variety public relations chores — promoting products, announcing engagements or deaths — but clients often made use of his services because they were in crisis mode.
In 2008, when Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson’s onetime sidekick on “The Tonight Show,” faced possible foreclosure on his multimillion-dollar home in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr.