Former Beverly Hills Mayor Robert K. Tanenbaum Dies at 83

Robert K. Tanenbaum, a former Beverly Hills mayor and longtime public figure known nationally for his legal thrillers, has died, according to a family announcement shared on social media.

In a post announcing his passing, his daughter, Rachael Tanenbaum, described her father as a man defined by “strength, keen intellect, integrity, and love,” and said he devoted his life to family, community service, and a lifelong pursuit of justice.

“I announce the passing of my beloved father, Robert Karl Tanenbaum.”

Tanenbaum’s ties to Beverly Hills extended beyond authorship and civic engagement. City records identify him as a former mayor who remained active in local issues years after leaving office.

Outside City Hall, Tanenbaum built a wide reputation as a novelist and trial attorney. Biographical profiles describe him as a former mayor of Beverly Hills whose career also included senior roles in criminal prosecution before his success as an author.

He was best known for his courtroom driven fiction, including long running legal crime series that helped define the modern “legal thriller” genre, and for later works that blended law, politics, and American history. A Beverly Hills Press profile noted his standing as a bestselling author and highlighted his book examining the Kennedy assassination, reflecting his interest in major national moments as well as local civic life.

According to the family announcement, a memorial service is planned for Sunday, January 11 at 1:30 p.m. at Mount Sinai Mortuary, Tanach Chapel, 5950 Forest Lawn Dr., Los Angeles.

Tanenbaum is remembered by loved ones as a devoted husband and father, and by readers and civic peers as a public servant who carried the habits of a prosecutor and storyteller into everything he did, from community life in Beverly Hills to a body of work read far beyond it.