NATCHEZ — Theodore Johnson and his brother met on the bluff Thursday to commemorate the death of their father, who died 69 years ago in the Rhythm Night Club fire.

Johnson was 11 months old on April 23, 1940, when his father, Robert Johnson, died in the fire.

“It’s important for all of us to remember,” Johnson said. “It’s important for us to remember them and show that they’re not forgotten. They did not die in vain.”

Approximately 50 people gathered to honor the 209 that died in the fire.

NAPAC Museum Director Darrell White addressed the crowd and spoke on the importance of remembering the fire and the impact it had on the community.

“This community was forever changed. Now, 69 years later, this community is still recovering,” White said. “There was not a family in this community that was not touched by the fire.”

But not everything that came after the fire was tragic.

White said, in 1940, the fire was the ranked the second worst structure fire in the nation’s history and was the catalyst for fire safety reform across the country.

The fire is currently ranked fourth in the nations top 10 most deadly fires.

“Our nation was made better by the sacrifices of this community,” White said. “That’s something we cannot forget.”

And White also used the event as a chance to rally residents to start collecting money for the restoration of the marker on the bluff that honors the dead.

“We can all help make that happen,” he said.