Bill DiDamio walked into the former Roscoe’s bar on Spruce Street in 1975 dressed as Carmen Miranda. At 6-foot-2 and wearing a banana headdress, he had to duck to get in the door. DiDamio was playing Latin music from a boom box.
“He was a true character,” Bill Wood, founder of Woody’s and co-owner of Knock, said of the first time he met DiDamio, who spent his life working at most of the gay businesses in Philadelphia and Atlantic City.
DiDamio died March 1 of complications related to pneumonia. He was 81.
“It’s the end of an era,” Wood said. “There aren’t that many characters left anymore.”
Wood and several friends are planning a celebration of life for DiDamio to take place April 9. There will be a small parade through Center City featuring a Dixieland band and people wearing black veils. DiDamio called himself “The Widow.” The time and further details are still being determined.
Afterward, people are invited to Knock, 225 S. 12th St., from 3-5 p.m. to mingle and reminisce.
“We’re trying to make it fun,” Wood said. “All he wanted was a party.”
DiDamio worked at Woody’s from 1982-2010, then as a host at Knock for the last few years. He also worked at the former Maxine’s, now called Tavern on Camac, and he owned a restaurant for a time on Lombard Street.
DiDamio is survived by a cousin, Rachel Kowalski of Reading, and many friends. Wood said he plans to spread his friend’s ashes in Italy, where DiDamio used to vacation.