A celebration of life for former Hawai'i media executive and U.S. Rep. Cec Heftel will be held March 28 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Hawai'i Theatre.

Heftel, 85, died Feb. 4 in San Diego.

Heftel owned KGMB radio and TV in the 1960s and '70s, guiding the stations to prominent positions in the Hawai'i market. A Democrat, he represented Hawai'i in the U.S. House from 1976 to 1986, when he left Washington to make an unsuccessful run for Hawai'i governor.

The March 28 event will be open to the public at the 1,400-seat theater. There are no tickets to the event; people will be admitted as capacity allows.

Community leaders are expected to speak at the event, and a video tribute prepared by longtime KGMB-TV producer Phil Arnone will be shown, said Doug Carlson, an event coordinator and a former press secretary to Heftel.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to charities or other organizations in Heftel's memory.