John M. (Jack) Blanchette Jr. of Sudbury, Mass., and Santa Monica, Calif., died Tuesday, March 4, at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, after a brief battle with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a form of Leukemia. He was 68.
Blanchette was the president and owner of Blanchette & Associates Public Relations in Santa Monica. He had worked in the field of entertainment and corporate publicity for more than three decades. For the past 15 years he had also wrote travel, wine and food features for Copley and Creators news syndicates.
Blanchette was the press agent for Zsa Zsa Gabor (30 years, longer than nine husbands), and he also worked with Ned Beatty, Delta Burke, Cary Grant, Valerie Harper, Bob Hope, Michael Jackson, Debbie Reynolds and many other celebrities.