Sunday memorial service planned for punk singer

Services are planned Sunday for Michael Conley, a Costa Mesa bar owner and frontman for the 1980s punk band MIA who died last week.

A memorial service for family and friends of Conley will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday on the beach at West Coast Highway and Prospect Street in Newport Beach. A public gathering that will include music and an open microphone for people who want to share memories of Conley will follow the beach service at 6 p.m. at the Detroit Bar, 843 W. 19th St.

Conley, 48, was the owner of the Avalon Bar in Costa Mesa. He was found dead Thursday in a motel parking lot in suburban Chicago. Law enforcement authorities believe Conley slipped and fell in the icy lot after a woman he was with took his cellphone and credit cards, a Cook County Sheriff’s Department official said Monday.

Authorities believe Conley and the woman met in downtown Chicago while Conley was traveling on business.

Friends of Conley have set up a memorial fund to pay for the education of Conley’s three daughters, ages 18, 9 and 5. Visit www.mikeconleyfamilyfund.com for more information.

— Brianna Bailey