AM Update: Celebrating Leslie's Life, UT Makes March Madness Cut, Rain to Continue

Austinites Bid Farewell to Leslie Cochran at Memorial

Family, friends and fans of Leslie Cochran, Austin’s cross-dressing, homeless icon who died last week, celebrated his life yesterday.

The rain held and the sun came out for the hundred or so people gathered at Lady Bird Lake wearing tiaras, boas, and even Speedos. Marita Heydon was one of them. She shared a story about first seeing Leslie camped outside of a drugstore protesting the fact that they had mistreated him.

I just admired his courage so much, not just to speak truth to power, but to set up camp right in the middle of the enemy and be very kindly saying, what you did is wrong. And it really impressed me, and I’ve been a fan of his ever since.

During the event, Alice Masterson thanked the Austin community for its acceptance of Leslie.

You didn’t judge him, you loved him, you embraced him.  That is what every human being needs to experience.

A father-daughter duo played guitar and fiddle at the memorial. Balloons and doves were released in Leslie's honor. KUT's Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon made a video of the event, embedded below. 

Longhorns Basketball to Make 14th NCAA Appearance

After a shaky 8 – 7 season in conference play, the Texas men’s basketball team squeezed into the NCAA tournament. The team was selected as the eleventh seed in the tourney.

While the Longhorn’s weren’t able to pull off a win against Big 12 rival Missouri on Friday, they managed to maintain an overall record of 20 – 13. The Burnt Orange squad will head into the tourney against the number six seed Cincinnati Bearcats.  

The Texas men’s basketball team will play Cincinnati in the NCAA tournament in Nashville. The game is Friday morning at 11:15. This is the 14th year in a row that the Longhorns have made it to the NCAA tournament.

Showers Expected During SXSW

The rainy, overcast weather that swept through Austin this weekend is expected to continue throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Last week, rainstorms brought in approximately 2.46 inches in rainfall. That trend could continue this week as a series of showers and thunderstorms are projected to hit the area beginning Tuesday afternoon.

No amount of rain, however, will slow down the thousands of people that have flocked to Austin to attend South by Southwest.