Friends, colleagues gather to remember life of Jax Gratton after Denver hairstylist found dead

CBS News

2 days ago

Amidst tears and warm embraces, Jax Gratton's presence was felt in Denver on Monday morning.
"The reach has gone all the way internationally," Brandy Carey, a friend of hers, told CBS Colorado. "That's what she does."
The Denver hairstylist, who identified as a transgender woman and was a prominent member of the city's LGBTQ+ community, had been missing for over two months. After a long search, Lakewood police announced on Saturday afternoon that they had found a body that could be Gratton. While the Jefferson County Coroner's Office has yet to identify the body, her family believes it to be her.
On Monday afternoon, an impromptu celebration of life and newspress conference was called outside the City and County of Denver Building. In attendance were various community groups and leaders, as well as those who knew Gratton from a variety of places, be it the salon where she worked, the clubs she frequented, or the activist organizations she was a part of.
"I think she's still doing that now," Carey said of her friend's ability to connect people. "She's brought so many of us together that didn't know each other."
Brandy Carey remembers her friend Jax Gratton at a news conference and memorial in Denver on Monday, June 9, 2025.
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Along with tearful testimonials of how Gratton impacted their lives, many speakers included a call to action: to fight for and advocate for marginalized communities the way she did.
"That's the power of a personality like that," said Z. Williams, who met Gratton through activist circles, "bringing people in to finding their voice."
While Williams told CBS News Colorado that much of her social circle is in those places, Gratton had a rare talent for existing in any social setting and making friends everywhere. Her death has galvanized many to take up her causes, as opposed to just focusing on the nature of her passing.
"That's not martyrdom or anything like that," Williams explained. "That's just continuing the things that Jax started and ignited in many people."
Z. Williams speaks about the community that her late friend Jax Gratton helped cultivate in their activist circles.
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Statements were read on behalf of Gratton's siblings and parents, while friends and colleagues remembered the joyful moments and memories.
"There's so many different funny stories to remember about Jax," said Carey. "So many candid things. And I'll always keep that with me."
While the investigation, including the identification of the body in the Coroner's Office and the cause of death, is still underway, the LGBTQ+ community in Denver is taking a moment to remember one of their own. Regardless of how Gratton passed, they say, the lifelong mission of advocating for uplifting marginalized communities in the area lives on in each of them.
A memorial for Jax Gratton sits in front of the City and County of Denver building on Monday, June 9, 2025 as friends and colleagues gather at a news conference and memorial for the Denver hairstylist.
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"Our communities are supposed to gather and come together to make lives better and that's what Jax wanted," Carey said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.