Tutt's most recent local accomplishment was the renovation of The Angler's hotel,
completed in 2007. But for the past several years, he had been spending much of
his time at his Bahamian masterpiece: The Rock House, a 1940s-era house that
Tutt converted into a luxury boutique hotel.
A worker who answered the phone at The Rock House said the hotel has been
emptied and will be closed for the next couple of days in light of Tutt's death.
``The staff is devastated,'' said the worker, who declined to give her name saying
she was unauthorized to speak on behalf of the hotel.
Tutt spoke fondly of the Bahamas in a 2005 Miami Herald interview.
``I felt secure there,'' he said.
A native of Nanafalia, Ala., Tutt attended the University of Alabama and received
his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham.
He began renovating homes in Washington, D.C., while working for the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
He gave up practicing law and formed his own renovation and development
company. He moved to Miami Beach in the late 1980s.
Friends remember the designer as both a talented entrepreneur and, more
importantly, a fiercely loyal friend who was the life of any party.
``You knew it wasn't going to be boring,'' said Sehres, who met Tutt through
mutual friends in 1989, when both were new arrivals on the Miami Beach scene.
``You went along because you knew there was always going to be something.
There were moments where you'd go, `How'd we get here?' ''
completed in 2007. But for the past several years, he had been spending much of
his time at his Bahamian masterpiece: The Rock House, a 1940s-era house that
Tutt converted into a luxury boutique hotel.
A worker who answered the phone at The Rock House said the hotel has been
emptied and will be closed for the next couple of days in light of Tutt's death.
``The staff is devastated,'' said the worker, who declined to give her name saying
she was unauthorized to speak on behalf of the hotel.
Tutt spoke fondly of the Bahamas in a 2005 Miami Herald interview.
``I felt secure there,'' he said.
A native of Nanafalia, Ala., Tutt attended the University of Alabama and received
his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham.
He began renovating homes in Washington, D.C., while working for the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
He gave up practicing law and formed his own renovation and development
company. He moved to Miami Beach in the late 1980s.
Friends remember the designer as both a talented entrepreneur and, more
importantly, a fiercely loyal friend who was the life of any party.
``You knew it wasn't going to be boring,'' said Sehres, who met Tutt through
mutual friends in 1989, when both were new arrivals on the Miami Beach scene.
``You went along because you knew there was always going to be something.
There were moments where you'd go, `How'd we get here?' ''
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J. Wallace Tutt, famed interior designer to celebrities including
Cher and Versace, dies suddenly at 53
by Kelly House
J. Wallace Tutt III, a South Florida interior designer and developer whose elegant,
understated style attracted a celebrity clientele that included Cher, Gianni Versace, and
Robert De Niro, died Saturday morning in the Bahamas.
The cause of death was unclear.
Bahamian police said they were investigating Tutt's death, but would not comment on
whether foul play was suspected.
Tutt, 53, lived on a private island he owned off of Harbour Island. He also maintained a
penthouse on Miami Beach's Sunset Harbor.
Longtime friend Dan Sehres, owner of Miami Beach's Bar 721, said Tutt's body is
being flown to Nassau, Bahamas, for an autopsy.
Bahamian officials were unable to confirm that.
``He was a gentleman that was truly a great friend,'' Sehres said.
``Honestly, I'm going to miss that. He's one of those people I thought I was going to
know forever.''
J. Wallace Tutt, famed interior designer to celebrities including
Cher and Versace, dies suddenly at 53
by Kelly House
J. Wallace Tutt III, a South Florida interior designer and developer whose elegant,
understated style attracted a celebrity clientele that included Cher, Gianni Versace, and
Robert De Niro, died Saturday morning in the Bahamas.
The cause of death was unclear.
Bahamian police said they were investigating Tutt's death, but would not comment on
whether foul play was suspected.
Tutt, 53, lived on a private island he owned off of Harbour Island. He also maintained a
penthouse on Miami Beach's Sunset Harbor.
Longtime friend Dan Sehres, owner of Miami Beach's Bar 721, said Tutt's body is
being flown to Nassau, Bahamas, for an autopsy.
Bahamian officials were unable to confirm that.
``He was a gentleman that was truly a great friend,'' Sehres said.
``Honestly, I'm going to miss that. He's one of those people I thought I was going to
know forever.''
Among them: running wild in
Versace's South Beach
mansion when the iconic
fashion designer wasn't home,
breaking items in Cher's La
Gorce Island home and gluing
them back together, and
almost sinking when they ran
aground in a boat in the
middle of the Caribbean.
Tutt's flair for design was
visible even in his personal life.
If he had a party, Tutt's
attention to detail meant the
entire setting, from the
silverware to the wait staff,
was perfect.
``It was one of those things that was just inside of him,'' said Sehres, who added
that Tutt's influence can be seen throughout Miami Beach, most notably The
Angler's hotel.
``There's places I go in town and I know, `This is Wallace Tutt.' ''
Top photo by Marice Cohn Band / Miami Herald Staff
Portrait by John VanBeekum / Miami Herald Staff
Copyright © AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source
Versace's South Beach
mansion when the iconic
fashion designer wasn't home,
breaking items in Cher's La
Gorce Island home and gluing
them back together, and
almost sinking when they ran
aground in a boat in the
middle of the Caribbean.
Tutt's flair for design was
visible even in his personal life.
If he had a party, Tutt's
attention to detail meant the
entire setting, from the
silverware to the wait staff,
was perfect.
``It was one of those things that was just inside of him,'' said Sehres, who added
that Tutt's influence can be seen throughout Miami Beach, most notably The
Angler's hotel.
``There's places I go in town and I know, `This is Wallace Tutt.' ''
Top photo by Marice Cohn Band / Miami Herald Staff
Portrait by John VanBeekum / Miami Herald Staff
Copyright © AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source
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