Longtime New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. – who was Taylor Swift’s biggest ally in the fight against Ticketmaster — died Wednesday morning, his family announced.
He was 87 years old.
Pascrell, a Democrat, represented the Garden State’s 9th District from 1997 until his death.
He also served four terms in the New Jersey General Assembly and was the mayor of his hometown, Paterson, from 1990 through 1997.
“As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved,” the family’s statement read.
“Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America.”
Just this year, the longtime representative urged federal regulators to check out a report on Live Nation-Ticketmaster that he alleged uncovered “evidence of the corruption and abuses of live event ticketing in America.”
The behemoth company faced the ire of Swifties — and Taylor herself — when they struggled to scoop up tickets for her wildly popular Eras tour due to technical glitches and a glut of resellers. The widespread criticism led the pop star to slam Ticketmaster in 2022 — though the company claimed the problems stemmed from unprecedented demand.
“Whether it is fans of Taylor Swift or countless other performers, the abuses of this monopoly have harmed tens of millions of Americans who are fed up with endless fees and ticket schemes,” he said in a scathing statement in March when announcing the report.
Pascrell helped roll out the proposed BOSS and SWIFT Act legislation last year named after New Jersey icon Bruce Springsteen and Swift that would further regulate the live events ticket marketplace.
“The recent experience of Taylor Swift fans being locked out of her tour is not new and Swifties are just the latest victims of Ticketmaster’s policies and a broken market,” he said in a statement at the time.
Bill Palatucci, a Republican National Committee member from New Jersey and a close pal of former GOP Gov. Chris Christie, speculated that Republican BIlly Prempeh – who challenged Pascrell two years ago – could be a favorite to fill the congressman’s shoes.
“Billy Prempeh came close last time against the congressman given his deep ties in Paterson and the larger community. We will have to see who replaces Rep. Pascrell but Billy has the advantage of running districtwide previously,” Palatucci told The Post.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy led the public tributes to Pascrell, whom he described as a “son of the south side of Paterson” with “a tireless work ethic, a deep devotion to giving back to his community, and an unwavering instinct for drawing strength from our state’s diversity.”
“Throughout his life, Bill proved to all of us what it means to live up to our New Jersey values. Tammy and I will miss him dearly,” he added.
Pascrell’s deputy chief of staff, Mark Greenbaum, referred to his late boss as a “throwback” and a “great man.”
“He lived his entire life in Paterson and our district. He loved his job so much. He was a man of the people in a way you don’t see much anymore. He may be the last of his kind in Congress,” he told The Post.
Pascrell was admitted to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson on July 14, where he spent time in intensive care for a respiratory illness, the New Jersey Globe reported.
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“He is currently devouring CNN for fresh Harris campaign news,” Pascrell’s chief of staff, Ben Rich, told the outlet at the time.
The 14-term congressman was discharged to a rehab facility on Aug. 7, but was hospitalized again just 10 days before his death, according to NBC News.
Earlier this year, Pascrell was challenged in Democratic primary by anti-Israel “Squad” wannabe Mohamed Khairullah.
In the months before the primary, Pascrell weathered fierce criticism from his district’s large Palestinian population over his pro-Israel stance, POLITICO reported.
He was accused of being a “mouthpiece for the dehumanization of Palestinian people” by locals from Paterson’s “Little Ramallah,” which is home to the largest Palestinian American community in the country.
In a video obtained by POLITICO last winter, Pascrell backed Israel’s right to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attack.
He did not join calls in the Democratic Party for a ceasefire.
If he had won a 15th term this fall, Pascrell would have become the oldest House member following the retirement of Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif), the New Jersey Globe noted.
Fellow longtime New Jersey Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone paid tribute to Pascrell shortly after his passing.
“I had the honor of serving alongside @BillPascrell for 27 years. I will deeply miss my friend & partner,” he wrote on X.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Elsie, their children, & grandchildren, who supported him through a life of public service and generously shared him with all of us.”
Pascrell is the second New Jersey congressman to die in recent months.
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-Newark) suffered a heart attack in April and was unconscious for 18 days before dying on April 24 at age 65.
In a special election to serve out the rest of Payne’s term, Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver won the Democratic primary last month. She faces Republican businessman Carmen Bucco in the general special election on Sept. 18, and is expected to cruise to victory in the heavily Democratic district.
Democrats are expected to also pick McIver to replace by Payne on the November ballot, NJ.com reported.
