Honoring the life of Bill Bixler

By Barbara Burke · Thu Aug 20 2026

Longtime Malibu High School instrumental music teacher, Dick Van Dyke collaborator, and music icon leaves a lasting legacy of loving family, friends and students

“The world has lost a magnificent human,” Leslie Letven Bixler lamented online as she announced that her husband of three decades, Bill Bixler, 79, had succumbed to cancer on July 29. In Malibu, William Hud Bixler is beloved as a longtime Malibu High School instrumental music teacher, host of “The Bix Mix” jazz show on KBUU, band leader, producer of Dick Van Dyke’s 2017 jazz album, "Step (Back) in Time" and producer of albums in collaboration with Leslie on the Miss Bix project. 

Approximately 230 miles away, many in Fresno are also grieving the loss of Bixler, who once owned the celebrated Wild Blue nightclub in the Tower District and who played saxophone in a working garage band called The Cindermen in the 1960s. In 1974, Bixler and a group of fellow musicians created the Wild Blue Yonder, a jazz rock fusion band. Bixler was the vocalist, saxophonist and primary songwriter on the band’s two self-produced albums that were played on air to the delight of many. 

Bill Bixler’s 'influence will live on through countless students he inspired'

When a community loses such an impactful person, it is often because he has contributed to the next generation of those who follow in his path. So it is with Bixler. 

“There wouldn’t be a Shwayze without Bill Bixler!” Candace Bowen, grandmother of the American rapper declared emphatically. Bowen noted that Bixler also nurtured the development of many musicians who were MHS students, including Taylor Goldsmith and his bandmate and record producer Blake Mills, the highly acclaimed, Grammy-nominated songwriter, guitarist, and singer. The two co-founded the indie-rock band Simon Dawes when they were students there. After the band broke up, Goldsmith and his younger brother, Griffin, formed the band Dawes. Bixler also taught and advised Louis Cole, a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who co-founded the avant garde jazz-funk duo KNOWER, among others.

“Mr. Bill Bixler had a huge impact on so many young musicians, myself included.” Shwayze said. “His classroom wasn’t just a music room. It was a place where creativity was encouraged and where so many of us recorded our first songs. I learned so much in his class, but more importantly, he made students believe in themselves. Looking back, I realize that a big part of my musical journey started in that recording studio at Malibu High with Mr. Bixler. His influence will live on through countless students he inspired — he was a great teacher and a great man.”

Wholeheartedly agreeing, Erin Laetz, a student of Bixler at Malibu schools for seven years, shared, “Bix was the kind of teacher who changed your life long after you left his classroom. He was endlessly supportive of all of us, always encouraging us to explore other instruments and challenge our musicality. Some of my high school band friends and I were looking back last week, and we all came to a similar conclusion that the level of education we got from Bix actually superseded our university ensemble experiences and continued to shape our lives well into adulthood.” 

“With Bix, music became something deeper than just a class,” Laetz noted. “The friendships, community, and love of music he fostered have continued for decades beyond our school years and will continue forever. His musicality, humor, passion, and unwavering belief in his students left a lasting mark on all of us. He wasn’t just the best teacher ever, he was a truly special person and the coolest dude. We were fortunate to be his students, and his music and spirit will live on in all of us. Miss you, Bix!”

Bixler’s son Robben commented online, “The epitome of a 'Can-Do' attitude, my father was always there for me and the rest of my family, solving problems before we even realized we had to solve them. My dad was always there to support my music and my well-being in every way he possibly could.”

Bixler touched lives in Malibu and well beyond with his jazz show on KBUU. “Bill’s jazz show was the heart and soul of the radio station,” Hans Laetz, owner of the station, noted. “It was far more than jazz; he loved rock and classical, and he played it in context and with meaning.” 

“And that deep voice!” Laetz exclaimed. “I used to tease him that the Navy wanted us to warn submarines when he opened up his mic on the radio.” 

Laetz added, “His own band, The Blue, is cooler than Steely Dan and should have cracked the top 40 over and over. He had great stories, not the least of which was when his high school rock band opened for The Rolling Stones at the Fresno city auditorium in 1965, and it ended in a riot. He loved that!” Also on the bill that night? The Byrds.

'Step (Back) in Time'

As a jazz saxophonist, writer and producer, Bixler produced Van Dyke’s 2017 jazz and blues album, "Step (Back) in Time." Bixler gathered top vocal groups such as the Vantastix and talented musicians to record classic vocal and jump-blues numbers. Their project led to performances around Los Angeles, including at the Catalina Jazz Club.

Bixler retired from MHS in 2014, and he and Leslie’s house burned in the Woolsey Fire. The Bixlers rebuilt their canyon home. Through thick and thin, Bill and Leslie built and rebuilt their lives and produced music and supported other musicians. 

On Facebook, Leslie posted that Bill, “loved his life and his family and me with all his heart. He brought light and love to everyone he knew. I love him more than life itself.” In addressing what she characterized as “The Bill effect,” Leslie reflected on the multitude of letters and texts she received after Bill passed from friends harkening for different times in Bill’s life. She opined that Bill’s gift was one of “kindness mixed with authenticity and a sincere desire for people he loved to thrive,” and she noted, “Bill made things grow.” 

Throughout their long marriage, Bixler collaborated with his wife, and together they were members of the “Miss Bix & the Blues Fix” band. Bixler is survived by his wife Leslie; brother Jim; sons Hud, Solon, and Robben Bixler; daughters-in-law Cathy Bixler and Julie Edwards; and grandchildren River, Luca, Mira, and Zumi. Memorial events in both Malibu and Fresno are pending.