Joseph F. Claffy, piano prodigy, longtime band leader, and lawyer, has died at 68

Joseph F. Claffy, 68, of Pocopson, piano prodigy, longtime society band leader, and popular bankruptcy lawyer, died Sunday, June 25, at Chester County Hospital. The cause of death has not been determined. Mr. Claffy had been living with a heart condition.

A lifelong musician, Mr. Claffy was born in Sharon Hill and listened to his mother play church music on the piano when he was a boy. He soon began playing, too, and everyone knew right away that he was special.

He took formal training, graduated high school at 16, and was playing piano with show bands in Las Vegas before he was legally allowed on the casino floor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in classical piano and composition in the early 1980s, and spent the next 35 years leading the Joseph Claffy Orchestra, later Joseph Claffy Music, in gigs at the White House, the Palace at Versailles, top clubs and hotels around the world, high-end weddings, casinos, cruises, conventions, theaters, galas, and balls.

In December, Mr. Claffy was scheduled to lead the orchestra at the prestigious Assembly Ball in Philadelphia. “He had a musical humility,” said his son, Alexander, also a musician. “He never thought he was great. He was always open to learning. That’s what made him fun to be around.”

Mr. Claffy’s eclectic musical repertoire included big-band swing, Motown, classic rock, Broadway hits, and practically everything in between. He played waltzes, polkas, and tangos. If you could dance to it, he could play it.

He performed with top entertainers and wrote advertising jingles for Sony, Mobil, and other companies. He composed theme songs and coproduced TV shows. His versatile voice could sing almost anything.

He was the longtime band leader at the Downingtown Inn and collaborated with Andrea McArdle; tenor Enzo Stuarti; his future wife, singer Patti Abruzzo; and countless other stars. His name was constantly in The Inquirer’s society and entertainment pages. His website says: “Claffy Music is ready to launch the dancers into a world of carefree excitement and give the listeners a moving musical performance of virtuosity.”

Ever eager to expand his knowledge and activities, Mr. Claffy earned a law degree at Widener University during the day while performing at night in the 1970s and ‘80s. He had offices in Downingtown and West Chester, and found a niche in bankruptcy cases, his wife said, because of his skill and desire to help people already in need.

“He was really brilliant,” his wife said. “He was about helping people. He never said you couldn’t do something. He evolved every day.”

Joseph Francis Claffy was born Aug. 14, 1954. His family moved to Denver when he was a teenager, and, in addition to glitzy shows in Las Vegas, he played gigs in Aspen, Vail, and Los Angeles after high school. He returned to Pennsylvania in the mid-1970s and graduated from the Philadelphia Musical Academy, now University of the Arts.

He married Lisa Reznicheck, and they divorced later. He met Abruzzo on one of his composing assignments, and they married in 1988, and had daughters Marshall and Eliza, and son Alexander.

An early fear of flying resulted in Mr. Claffy obtaining a pilot’s license and a small airplane, and he sometimes flew to nearby gigs. He went on ham radio, liked to sail, and played with his dogs as often as he could.

He was handy around the house and liked photography and walking the trails at ChesLen Preserve. He enjoyed performing with his children, cut his own Christmas CD, and found musical camaraderie in the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia.

“He had a generosity of spirit, an openheartedness to everyone around him,” a friend said in an online tribute. Another friend said he was “charming, entertaining, and engaging.”

Friends recalled his smile, sense of humor, patience, and empathy. His daughter Marshall said: “He filled every inch of the room with his being when he entered a conversation. He actually made us believe that he was larger than life.”

His wife said: “Most people step out of bed in the morning. Joe hopped out. He grabbed life 24-7. He wanted to make us all better.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Claffy is survived by a sister and other relatives.

Services were Friday, July 7.

Donations in his name may be made to the Claffy Memorial Scholarship Fund for scholar-musicians, Box 43, Pocopson, Pa. 19366.