Obituary of John Daniel Flynn III

John Daniel Flynn III, born in Chicago, Illinois on May 11, 1951, passed away peacefully on February 9th, 2019 amidst his loving family and friends.

John grew up in a large family, with 5 brothers, and 3 sisters. Johnny, the nickname of his youth, went to elementary school at St. Lawrence Martyr in Redondo Beach, CA where his family then resided. Upon the family’s move to Thousand Oaks, CA, he went to Santa Clara High School in Oxnard freshmen year, then returned to Thousand Oaks to finish his high school years at Thousand Oaks High School. Johnny also received a degree in journalism in College.

Music was the heart and soul of Mr. Flynn. Johnny and his brother Pat played in several local bands through high school, and again into the late 1970’s before going their separate ways, musically.

Johnny joined the U.S. Army in 1970 and soon found himself in Vietnam. Where did the Army think he could be of the most use? Leading an in-country Rock Band, of course! Flynn spent his entire tour entertaining his fellow G.I.s all over the country, never far from the front lines. He later wrote a book about his unique Vietnam adventure entitled ‘Rockin’ Nam’. A screenplay was being fashioned from the book at the time of his death. Upon returning to the U.S. Johnny took his music to a new level. Collaborating with iconic choreographer Kenny Ortega, he wrote a Rock Musical, ‘Bimbo’s Cosmic Circus’. The play toured to great reviews in Los Angeles and San Diego before disbanding. John then began to play music throughout the Ventura County and Los Angeles area, including The Roxy, The Palomino, Sasch, several years of epic shows in his hometown of Thousand Oaks etc. John and his brother Pat and other notable musicians, were rocking Southern California as The Flynn Bros Band, and The Johnny Flynn Band. John and his band were known for their dynamic performances and were always a large draw wherever they performed.

Always restless for new challenges, John then took on stand-up comedy. Changing his professional name to ‘Huck Flyn’, he then hit the comedy circuit, which at the time was enjoying a national renaissance period all over the country. For the next 25 years “Huck” toured the western states and forged a very successful career, using his guitar and voice as a jumping off spot for his comedic observations.

At the same time, John(Huck) wrote and recorded Blues Music CDs and authored several books on a variety of related topics.

John is survived by 3 children, 5 brothers and 3 sisters, and a large extended family. John will be laid to rest along side his Mother at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA.