Charles Philip ‘Phil’ Gilliam Age 60. August 7, 2026. Born November 18, 1965, Phil was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil & Hattie Gilliam and brother, Gil Gilliam. He is survived by numerous friends who make up his chosen family and cousins, Renee Hayes, Stan Hickman, Amy Brickman, Steve Owen, Shay Dunivant, and Kelli Lassiter.
As a child, Phil developed what would be a lifelong love of all things pop culture, collecting music, movies, comic books, anime and action figures. In his teen and early adult years, that love of pop culture opened up a whole new world as he discovered the joy of attending annual conventions like DragonCon, where he won numerous cosplay awards for dressing in costume as Labyrinth's Jareth, Nashville’s own Bettie Page, anime character Captain Harlock, and Gilliam’s own original alter-ego performance persona, Cecilia Blackpool.
A graduate of Lipscomb College, Phil was a longtime store artist for Tower Records/Video & Books on West End and also worked as a DJ throughout his career at local nightspots including The Underground, The Chute Complex, Tribe, and Play.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following:
Nashville CARES: https://pride.nashvillecares.org/
Oasis: https://oasiscenter.org/
A Gathering of Family & Friends will be held at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN 37204, on Monday, August 17, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and again on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
A Celebration of Life will take place at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home & Memorial Park on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 1:00 pm.
A Committal Service will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN 37204, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 2:00 pm.
