Jeffrey A. Diamond, 65, of Great Barrington, passed away at home surrounded by his family and caregivers on Thursday, December 18, 2025, after a 16-year struggle with early onset Parkinson’s disease. He was born on December 1, 1960, to Donald S. Diamond and Minnette (Langfelder) Diamond and was a proud fourth-generation San Franciscan. Jeff graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School, attended California Institute of the Arts, and graduated from the University of the Pacific. He was a theater geek and loved designing sets during high school, college, and for community theaters.
After college, Jeff worked as an associate technical director for the Los Angeles Opera Company. He traveled the world with the company recreating sets at some of the most prestigious opera houses in the world.
Jeff moved to the Berkshires in 1992 to work with Douglas Trumbull on three attractions for the Luxor Hotel as executive producer for the Kleiser-Walczak Construction (KWC) Company (3D animation). Through KWC, he also produced the visual effects for feature films “Clear and Present Danger” and “Stargate” and the animated Columbia Pictures logo. During this time, he met his partner of 30 years, Diane Pearlman, who was running visual effects studio Mass. Illusion. After their work in effects, Jeff and Diane started KinderMuse Entertainment developing children’s television for such clients as HBO. Jeff founded two companies, MediaFusion and Morecars/SmartNav, that combined his Hollywood content creation, technical innovation, and venture capital interests. He also consulted on the digital renovation of Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. Jeff ran a successful family real estate business with his mother, and later his sister and wife.
Jeff was known for his wit, creativity, and incredible tenacity. He loved hiking in the woods, reading science fiction (especially to his sons), cooking, classic rock (Grateful Dead), taking his boys camping, and… cars! As a child, Jeff and his father bonded over restoring cars, especially working on his grandmother’s 1953 Mercedes 220B Cabriolet. Jeff proudly showed this family heirloom at the Lime Rock Concours and Gathering of the Marques, winning twice in its category. He was a “car guy” and took great pleasure in the vehicles he drove and owned.
Locally, Jeff served for many years on the board of Flying Cloud Institute and most recently for a decade on the board of Berkshire Pulse.
Jeff is survived by Diane Pearlman and their two sons, Jake and Matthew; his sister Sheri Ginis; and his nieces, Abbie Ginis and Eliana Ginis.
The family is forever grateful to Jeff’s primary caregivers, Lynn Ryan and John Mezsaros, as well as the hospice professionals who attended to Jeff.
A private funeral was held last month at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire. Donations in Jeff’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, HospiceCare in the Berkshires, or Berkshire Pulse. To share a message of condolence, please visit the website of Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home.
