Clarisse Perrette

Clarisse B. Perrette died on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 55 years of age in Chicago, Illinois from cancer. She was a prolific artist, a deeply loving mother, wife, sister, and daughter; and an inspiring and loyal friend to so many.

Though born to French and American parents and raised bilingual and bicultural, Clarisse was a true New Yorker. Raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, she embodied the city's spirit throughout her life with her gutsy creativity, artistic soul, boundless curiosity, edgy sense of humor, and a love for bringing people together.

Clarisse attended the Brearley School in NYC, forming lifelong friendships. Her global perspective was shaped by annual visits to Saint-Briac in Brittany, France where her father's expansive family has its roots and by her high school experience attending the School Year Abroad program in Barcelona, Spain.

Clarisse earned her B.A. in 1991 from Stanford University, majoring in English and Political Science. After graduation, she continued her California experience and lived in San Francisco working as an Associate Producer on the romantic comedy "Nina Takes a Lover," which was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize.

In 1994, she moved to Washington DC to work for a young start up called America Online. While at AOL, she helped launch and produce Love@AOL, one of the first and most popular matchmaking sites on the internet. From there, she expanded to help manage Moviefone, before leaving AOL to pursue her passion for art full-time.

Moving back to NYC, she studied at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Students League. Her art was the brilliant and colorful reflection of her own brilliant and colorful personality. As she put it, her work was "about everyday struggles... between our daily needs and our greater desires, between keeping track of our keys and... the desire to create meaning." Clarisse was the recipient of the Jerome Foundation Grant for Emerging Artists in NYC, and the Daler-Rowney Prize for Excellence.

While on a bike trip in Ireland, her life beautifully expanded when she met Larry Freed, a native Chicagoan. Clarisse and Larry connected over wet weather and dry humor; she moved to Chicago and they married on May 15, 2010.

Larry and Clarisse joyfully welcomed their daughter, Adelaide Josie Freed, on April 17, 2013. Adelaide was and always will be Clarisse's greatest delight, her focus, and her pride.

As her friends and family know, Clarisse lived an inspiring and textured life, doing it her way. She was always curious, loved her books, word games, and cooking. Clarisse was caring and actively engaged with causes focused on the environment, education, and the arts, initially abroad in countries where she volunteered like Ecuador and Mexico, and later in her home communities in New York City and Chicago. Her courage, creativity, and humor were unmatched. She will be profoundly missed.

Clarisse is survived by her husband Larry Freed and daughter Adelaide Freed, her parents Virginia and Jean Perrette, and her siblings Virginie-Alvine, Jean-Briac, and Yannick Perrette. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in her memory to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, or to Donors Choose -- causes she supported passionately.