OBITUARY: Larry Basile

Age 75, passed away peacefully on June 14, 2025, on Gay Pride Day in Boston, a city he loved deeply.

Born February 26, 1950, at Fort Belvoir, VA, to Colonel Anthony L. and Marion F. (Heaney) Basile, Larry was raised in West Roxbury and graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in 1968. He briefly attended St. John's Seminary before earning an MBA from William & Mary in 1975 and completing graduate studies at NYU Business School.

A visionary entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ pioneer, Larry founded Dial Info Services in the 1970s, the first phone platform for gay men to connect, and later launched Online Buddies, which created Manhunt.net, the first gay hookup website. He also owned The Chandelier Inn Hotel and co-founded beloved Boston gay bars Fritz and Cathedral Station.

Larry was a fierce advocate for civil rights and AIDS awareness, working with Act Up!, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. He founded the Grass Roots Gay Rights Fund and the Boston Gay Pride Street Dance, raising over $800,000 for community organizations. His compassion extended to causes supporting the homeless and underserved, including Rosie's Place and Pine Street Inn.

In his final years, Larry found peace tending gardens at his 44-acre Stonewall Farm in Douglas.

He is survived by his brother Matthew Basile and wife Charlene of Danvers; sister Joanne Harrington of Hanover; nephews Joseph, Michael, and John Basile, and Matthew Harrington; nieces Kelly Dedeo and Leah Harrington Dexter; his Stonewall Farm community; and devoted caretaker Sidnei Alves.

Larry was predeceased by his beloved husband, Clement "Clem" Pepe.