A renowned art collector tragically lost his life after being struck in a hit-and-run incident while taking his cherished canine companion for a walk in an upscale Boston district.
Prosecutors have stated that 79-year-old John Axelrod was deliberately hit on Saturday morning as he strolled with his dog, Tale.
Axelrod, a prominent philanthropist, resided in a luxurious $2.9 million apartment with scenic views of a lake in the prestigious Back Bay neighborhood.
According to reports from the Boston Globe, Axelrod was walking with a companion near the Commonwealth Avenue mall when the fatal incident occurred.
This historic 32-acre promenade, located in Boston’s Back Bay, features a pedestrian path flanked by verdant lawns.
Authorities received the distress call around 9 a.m., and Axelrod was swiftly transported to the hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
The suspect, William Haney, 42, is being charged with murder and animal cruelty after police located his car in the Brookline suburb.
No additional information about Haney’s motive has been released, and he will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on Monday.
John Axelrod holding his pup, Tale, on the streets of Boston near his million-dollar apartment
The 79-year-old has gifted and sold a number of important artworks by African-American artists to the Museum of Fine Arts
Axelrod lived in the Back Bay area in an apartment estimated to be worth around $2.9million
Axelrod was known as a ‘generous supporter and passionate advocate for underrepresented artists,’ The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, said in a statement.
The benefactor had been deeply invested in the museum since the 1980s, and his death has rocked the artistic community in Boston.
‘His legacy will live on at the Museum through the John Axelrod Collection – a transformative acquisition of nearly 70 works by Black artists,’ the MFA said.
The John Axelrod Gallery in the Art of the Americas Wing was dedicated to him in 2009, standing as a tribute to his undying legacy.
The collector’s first work was donated to the museum in 1985, per the Globe, and his gifted pieces covered areas he felt were underrepresented and didn’t get the attention they deserved.
Axelroad had donated over 700 pieces to the MFA, a 2014 MFA press statement said.
‘His gift of 67 works of African American artists established the John Axelrod Collection in 2011,’ per the museum’s statement.
The 79-year-old was a New Jersey native that was a student at the Phillips Academy.
John Axelrod’s gallery, ‘Art and Jazz,’ part of the new installation Stories Artists Tell in the Art of the Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts
Local people walking their dogs by the Boston Women’s Memorial in Commonwealth Avenue Mall
Axelrod (right) posing with a friend while walking his dog along the streets of Boston
He went on to study at Yale University, and Harvard Law School, and the art enthusiast had an unwavering love for dogs.
His Facebook page is filled with a plethora of dog photos, including ones with him and Tale.
Silly dog memes are also shared on his social media page, along with sentimental portraits of Tale.
Axelrod also shared numerous photos of him walking his previous dog, Myrna, along the streets of Boston on a bright sunny day.
