Louis H. Freeman

Louis Howard Freeman passed away on August 3, 2023. The son of Edwin Freeman (1928-2017) and Regina Freeman (1933-2020), he was born in New York City and raised in Clemson, South Carolina.

Affectionately known as "Louie," he was a highly talented artist, a skill he inherited from his mother who was a child of the Holocaust. Louie's art will forever be a part of Clemson. He worked as a graphic artist in T-shirt design, drawing many a tiger for Clemson football fans. He also drew the official portraits for four Clemson Hall-of-Fame players displayed at the 1997 Clemson v North Carolina football game, printed with their bios in the program, and printed on the orange souvenir cups at the concessions stands - portraits of Jeff Bostic, Ben Anderson, David Treadwell, and Neil Simons.

Clemson University was very important to Louie's family. His grandfather Edwin Jones Freeman founded the Industrial Engineering Department and Freeman Hall is named for him. His grandfather also filmed the movies of the Clemson
football games for the late great Coach Howard, and wrote the first fight song for the team known as "Tiger Rah." Louie's father Edwin Armistead Freeman taught music at Clemson and was a member of Tiger Brotherhood. His father wrote many musical arrangements for Tiger Band.

Louie was musically gifted in many ways but was primarily a drummer. He played in various local rock bands, in early days performing in openers for Hootie and the Blowfish and The Dave Matthews Band. He also played drums on a hit song called "Try" recorded in Canada by vocalist Greg Vitale, streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

Perhaps his greatest gift was his effortless ability to make people laugh. His original comedic genius was a rare thing which brought others greater happiness with every encounter. Because of this gift he had a unique bond with each of his friends from far back in his youth throughout his adulthood. They made journeys from all over the map to visit him in the hospital in his final days. Online tributes by his friends were written in abundance and with a heartfelt nostalgia that reflected how much he touched their lives, an honor that Louie would treasure.

Louie struggled immensely with physical disability in his later life, which often overshadowed his perception of how much he was loved, but he persevered with great courage. His vivacious laughter brought him through many hard times. He will be missed greatly, but he remains in the hearts of all who were fortunate to have known him.

Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home is assisting the family.