August 4, 2014 – We never got to the bottom of what really happened, but we like to think that James Brady really did throw a Christmas tree off his balcony at Marina City.

The story came from former Chicago Tribune columnist Raymond Coffey, who died with the truth in 2008. Shortly after the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, in which Brady was severely injured, Coffey recalled an incident one year in July when Brady’s wife, Sarah, wanted him to get rid of the tree. According to Coffey, Brady picked up the tree, walked to the balcony, and threw it 300 feet to Dearborn Street below.

Joe Anderson, a friend of Brady’s, who also lived at Marina City and introduced Jim and Sarah to each other, says the story is probably true. “It’s so within the realm of possibility with Jim.”

Brady lived at Chicago’s Marina City from 1966 to 1973. After graduating from the University of Illinois, Brady was a lobbyist for the Illinois State Medical Society. He later worked for Thomas & James Advertising. Single for most of his time in Chicago, Brady lived in unit 3612 in Marina City’s west tower.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who worked with Brady during the Clinton administration to pass gun control legislation named in his honor, says the United States is a better nation because of Brady.

“Jim lived a remarkable life of courage and resilience in the face of adversity,” said Emanuel on Monday. “He turned his personal pain into a public crusade to end gun violence in America.”

With a handgun he had purchased for $29, John Hinckley Jr. shot Brady in the forehead on March 30, 1981, while trying to kill President Reagan. A Secret Service agent and a Washington, D.C. police officer were also injured. Brady was left partially paralyzed due to brain damage.

Most recently, Brady lived at a retirement community near Washington, D.C. He was 73 years old. According to a statement from his family, Brady had suffered a series of health issues.