Joseph Helfgot was born in Germany, the son of Holocaust survivors. At age two, his parents settled on the Lower East Side of New York after immigrating through Ellis Island. He excelled in school and earned a PhD in sociology. He was a colorful professor at Boston University before launching a motion picture market research company in Los Angeles which was considered by many to have revolutionized the industry.

Unfortunately, Joseph suffered from congestive heart disease most of his adult life. He died from complications after receiving a long-awaited heart transplant at the age 60 on April 7, 2009. His family honored his commitment to organ donation with the gift of facial tissue to James Maki in the nation’s second face transplant. His pancreas and liver were also donated to science. The briefly-transplanted heart was also re-recovered and transplanted again to save another person’s life.

Friends and colleagues remember Joseph for his keen intellect, generosity and mentorship. He adored his family: his children Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin and Jacob; and his beloved wife, Susan.