“I’ve never had a bad day."
— Windex Pete
— Windex Pete
The streets of New Orleans have lost a rhythm,
but his spirit will forever echo through the Quarter.
but his spirit will forever echo through the Quarter.
A farewell for Windex Pete, beloved French Quarter legend
The streets of New Orleans have lost a rhythm, but his spirit will forever echo through the Quarter.
A farewell for Windex Pete, beloved French Quarter legend
1951-2025
Windex Pete, known to many as the washboard man of the French Quarter, passed away on September 23, 2025 at the age of 74.
On paper it shows he was abandoned, but the harshness—and reality in all the bureaucratic ways—makes you want to stand up and say, No, he wasn’t. He was a friend, a fixture, a familiar face. He was a rhythm in the heart of New Orleans.
This site was created to honor his memory and help give him the farewell he deserves, including a proper burial.
Over the next few days, we’ll be working to add more information to this site. Stories, photos, and tributes, and ways anyone who knew him, or ever had the privilege to meet him, can participate in and contribute to his memorial.
If you have anything to share about Pete, please send it to us at the email address below (and if you'd like to be notified of updates, you can let us know that, too, until we can get things put together a little better here on his memorial site).
Thank you for helping us make sure he is remembered and keep his rhythm alive.
Friends of Wilbert “Windex Pete” Pritchett
Email: friends [at] rememberingpete [dot] com
On paper it shows he was abandoned, but the harshness—and reality in all the bureaucratic ways—makes you want to stand up and say, No, he wasn’t. He was a friend, a fixture, a familiar face. He was a rhythm in the heart of New Orleans.
This site was created to honor his memory and help give him the farewell he deserves, including a proper burial.
Over the next few days, we’ll be working to add more information to this site. Stories, photos, and tributes, and ways anyone who knew him, or ever had the privilege to meet him, can participate in and contribute to his memorial.
If you have anything to share about Pete, please send it to us at the email address below (and if you'd like to be notified of updates, you can let us know that, too, until we can get things put together a little better here on his memorial site).
Thank you for helping us make sure he is remembered and keep his rhythm alive.
Friends of Wilbert “Windex Pete” Pritchett
Email: friends [at] rememberingpete [dot] com
“I’ve never had a bad day." — Windex Pete / Share his words and help us spread the word about his memorial: rememberingpete.com
FAQ
Wilbert “Windex Pete” Pritchett was known around New Orleans as a street musician/percussionist who played the washboard. He was a notable character in the French Quarter and Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans.
Not exactly. He had been living in a nursing center in Franklinton, Louisiana. From what they were able to share (HIPPA Laws), he was found unresponsive in his nursing home bed, and his blood pressure was really low. He was taken to Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge, where he was placed on a ventilator for a couple of days, but he never recovered.
Somehow, someone, somewhere was told, “If anything happens, call this number.” That number belonged to his long-time friend, Jack, who got a call at 1:30 in the morning on September 23, 2025 with news of Pete's passing.
The hospital, coroner's office, and Louisiana State Police searched unsuccessfully for any relatives of Pete, and so, given that fact, they said he would be considered abandoned. Jack and other friends of Pete knew that wasn't true—he had lots of friends, thousands probably, and they would see to it that he got a proper burial and was treated with the dignity and respect he deserved. He was a friend, he was a human being, and there were many, many people who cared about him.
After searching for several weeks for his family, Pete was finally allowed to be released to his friend, Jack, in order to begin coordinating funeral arrangements. That was just a bit ago (mid-October). We got to work on this site and then started reaching out to anyone and everyone who might have known him. And here we are.
Somehow, someone, somewhere was told, “If anything happens, call this number.” That number belonged to his long-time friend, Jack, who got a call at 1:30 in the morning on September 23, 2025 with news of Pete's passing.
The hospital, coroner's office, and Louisiana State Police searched unsuccessfully for any relatives of Pete, and so, given that fact, they said he would be considered abandoned. Jack and other friends of Pete knew that wasn't true—he had lots of friends, thousands probably, and they would see to it that he got a proper burial and was treated with the dignity and respect he deserved. He was a friend, he was a human being, and there were many, many people who cared about him.
After searching for several weeks for his family, Pete was finally allowed to be released to his friend, Jack, in order to begin coordinating funeral arrangements. That was just a bit ago (mid-October). We got to work on this site and then started reaching out to anyone and everyone who might have known him. And here we are.
Depending on how much we're able to raise for Pete, here's what we're planning.
If we can raise $4,000+
Shooting for the moon, here are some things we're considering, depending on how much we're able to raise for Pete.
Note: We're posting quotes for services as we get them. You can find them below the FAQ section of this page.
If we can raise $4,000+
- Basic cremation service—Cost: $3950: Cremation, resting place in a memorial garden plot, urn vault, and marker with a tribute at the funeral home where he is currently located, Resting Place Funeral Home in Baton Rouge
- Full funeral service in Baton Rouge—Cost: $15147: Basic services of funeral and ceremony in chapel, resting place memorial garden plot, vault, marker with tribute at the funeral home where he is currently located, Resting Place Funeral Home in Baton Rouge
Shooting for the moon, here are some things we're considering, depending on how much we're able to raise for Pete.
- Full funeral service in New Orleans—Cost: $TBD: Basic services of funeral and ceremony in chapel, resting place memorial garden plot, vault, marker with tribute in New Orleans [location TBD], provided by Resting Place Funeral Home of Baton Rouge (Note: The funeral director is getting us a quote on this one.)
- Second-line band—Cost: $TBD: We know Pete would love having a second-line parade from the French Quarter to Tremé (Pete obviously had a lot of friends and connections around New Orleans, so we're sure we can find one or more bands who would like to pay tribute to him, but since we know Pete has worked with Trombone Shorty, we're starting with New Breed Brass Band as our first band to contact)
- We also thought of trying to get a bronze statue of Pete and his washboard, maybe around Louis Armstrong Park in his old neighborhood of Tremé, like the one of Ignatius J. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces, pictured with Pete on the memories page. That may take a little figuring, but if you have ideas on how we might do it or what it would cost, reach out to us (friends [at] rememberingpete [dot] com).
- All remaining funds donated to Pete's GoFundMe will go to the New Orleans Mission to help the homeless and hurting around New Orleans.
Note: We're posting quotes for services as we get them. You can find them below the FAQ section of this page.
Plans are still coming together, but you can find updates here.
Our hope is to have as many people as possible celebrate the life and legacy of Windex Pete. We will post updates here as details of the arrangements come together and are available.
Why yes we do. So glad you asked. Here it is. If you please, go make copies for Pete (see copies from Pete on the "Memories of Pete" page if you don't get that joke).
Ways to help with Pete's funeral and memorial:
- Share on social media. Text your friends and family. In any way you can, help us spread the word.
- Put Pete's obituary flyer in your business window if you're in New Orleans. Or make some Pete copies (see "Memories of Pete" page if you don't get that joke) and ask other businesses to put them in their windows.
- Help us cross some items off our wish-list for Pete (see "How will donations be used?" FAQ above for the list)—do you know anyone who can help with any of the items, or can you help with any of them?
- Come to Pete's funeral and/or memorial. (We'll post updates here on the Remembering Pete website as soon as plans are set.)
- Volunteer at the New Orleans Mission.
- Donate items to the New Orleans Mission. (It looks like they can use office supplies and toiletries, as well as shirts, pants, and coats.)
- Donate a vehicle to the New Orleans Mission. Cars, vans, boats, RVs—they can use them all.
- Donate residential property to the New Orleans Mission (land, houses, apartments).
Here's the documentation we have so far. We'll post more as they come available.
Windex Pete obituary flyer (for printing and sharing)
In the words of Pete,
"We need more copies.
Gotta go to FedEx."
"We need more copies.
Gotta go to FedEx."
Want to contribute?
To make a donation toward Pete's memorial and funeral, please click the link below.
Note: To keep your donation anonymous, be sure to check the option on the checkout page ("Don’t display my name publicly on the fundraiser.").
Any funds that remain from donations to Pete's funeral and memorial will go to the New Orleans Mission, where they "provide for the physical, social and spiritual needs of the most vulnerable in [New Orleans] through the support of those that share [their] compassion to make a difference."
New Orleans Mission
1130 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70113
(504) 523-2116
neworleansmission.org
New Orleans Mission
1130 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70113
(504) 523-2116
neworleansmission.org
