Carl Brown, Jr., the co-owner of the Maple Leaf Bar, died this morning. He had been in and out of the hospital, and reportedly died of heart failure. At this point, few details are available including information about his funeral. We’ll have more information here and in the Weekly Beat when we have it.

Brown was one of the six initial owners of the Maple Leaf, along with John Parsons, Tom Bethel, Judy Cooper, Bill Odom and Jim Stratton. He is credited with having come up with the name of the bar when no one could agree, proposing “the Maple Leaf” in honor of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Maple Leaf Rag.”