Billboard pays tribute to the executives, songwriters, managers, producers, promoters, radio hosts and more who passed on this year.
Yngwie Malmsteen and Dick Asher pose together backstage in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Nov. 2, 1986.
Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
There’s no way around it. The music industry, with all its boundless nooks and crannies, will say farewell to many behind-the-scenes players over the course of 2024. From corporate executives of all stripes, to agents, managers and live promoters, to deal-making lawyers and policy-influencing lobbyists, and studio producers and other knob-twisters and songwriters, they are all part of the fabric of music.
To honor those who have passed on, we’re highlighting these often-unsung individuals who’ve left a lasting impression across every aspect of the business. Over the course of 2024, we’ve lost important figures including exacting rock engineer Steve Albini, MTV pioneer Gale Sparrow, Columbia Records legend Dick Asher, The Fader co-founder Rob Stone, consequential lawyer Leon Wildes, a pair of BBC Radio icons, an inventor of one of music’s weirdest devices and the Svengali-like figure who gave the world Milli Vanilli.
Here are the industry players we’ve lost in 2024:
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CHARLES CROSS, 67
August 9
The celebrated music writer penned books on Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, and was editor of influential Pacific Northwest magazine The Rocket and also founding editor of Backstreets, the Bruce Springsteen fanzine. [More]
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SUSAN WOJCICKI, 56
Image Credit: Francois G. Durand/Getty Images August 9
One of the most respected female executives in the male-dominated tech industry, Wojcicki was one of Google’s earliest employees and lead YouTube for nine years before stepping down in 2023. [More]
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DICK ASHER, 92
Image Credit: Echoes/Redferns July 25
The former president of PolyGram and Columbia Records, pictured at left with George Clinton and Walter Yetnikoff, worked with some of music’s biggest names, including Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and Bon Jovi. [More]
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CHRIS YORK, 55
Image Credit: Courtesy of SJM Concerts July 25
During a three-decade stint at SJM Concerts, the executive promoted artists including Oasis, Foo Fighters, Green Day, The Chemical Brothers and Lily Allen. [More]
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ERIC GARDNER, 74
Image Credit: Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images July 19
The former chairman and CEO of Panacea Entertainment was a major force in artist management, TV production and Las Vegas residencies. [More]
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JERRY FULLER, 85
Image Credit: CBS via Getty Images July 18
The songwriter and producer scored No. 1s on the Hot 100 with Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man” and Al Wilson’s “Show and Tell” — and nearly had a third with Gary Puckett and the Union Gap’s “Young Girl,” which topped out at No. 2. All three were written solely by Fuller. As an artist, his 1959 version of “Tennessee Waltz” reached No. 63 on the Hot 100. [More]
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EDDIE ROSENBLATT, 89
Image Credit: Courtesy of the Eddie Rosenblatt family. July 16
Played a pivotal role in the rise of Geffen Records, steering the label through its formative years and establishing it as a powerhouse in the industry. Under his leadership as label president, Geffen became synonymous with the success of major artists like Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, and Don Henley. [More]
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DAVE LOGGINS, 76
Image Credit: Michael Ochs/Getty Images July 10
One of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters in the ’70s and ’80s, Loggins crafted more than two dozen hits for other artists as well as a long-running theme for the Augusta Masters Golf Tournament. [More]
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MARY MARTIN, 85
Image Credit: Kay Williams, courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum July 4
Veteran music manager and record label executive was a career guider for artists including Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill. [More]
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ROB STONE, 55
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage June 24
A champion of hip-hop from his early days working with Biggie Smalls, Outkast (Big Boi, pictured) and others, Stone rose the ranks at a number of labels (SBK, EMI, Arista) before founding innovative marketing and promotion agency Cornerstone in 1996 and, three years later, The Fader magazine alongside lifelong friend and partner Jon Cohen. [2015 profile]
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JEREMY TEPPER, 60
Image Credit: Joe Corrigan/Getty Images June 14
Before linking up with Steven Van Zandt to run the popular Outlaw Country station on SiriusXM, Tepper spent time as a journalist, an A&R executive, and founded indie country label Diesel Only Records. [More]
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Mark James, 83
Image Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame June 8
The Grammy-winning songwriter penned such hits as “Suspicious Minds” (Elvis Presley), “Always on My Mind” (Willie Nelson, Pet Shop Boys) and “Hooked on a Feeling” (B.J. Thomas, Blue Swede). [More]
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RICHARD SHERMAN, 95
Image Credit: Michael Schwartz/WireImage May 25
The Oscar-winning songwriter partnered with his late brother, Robert Sherman, to craft music for such Disney classics as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Jungle Book. [More]
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PAT ROLFE, 77
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo May 24
The Nashville trailblazer was one of the first women to lead a major music publishing company when she was named GM at Hill & Range in 1972. Over a career lasting more than four decades, she also served in high-level roles at Chappell Music and ASCAP Nashville. [More]
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AMY WINSLOW, 59
Image Credit: Amy Winslow, left, with Eddie Vedder and her Q104 colleague Maira Molito in an October 1999 issue of Billboard. May 23
A celebrated – and oft-quoted in Billboard — radio programmer in the 1990s at WNEW and Q104 in NYC, Winslow went on to help run the short-lived Air America liberal talk network. She spent the last 15 years at Manage This!, where she helped craft tours for Guided By Voices, Dirty Projectors, Sean Lennon and others.
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MORGAN SPURLOCK, 53
Image Credit: Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images May 23
Best known for writing, directing and starring in the hit 2004 documentary Super Size Me, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker also helmed nearly a dozen other features including One Direction: This Is Us, the 2013 documentary centering on the explosively popular U.K. boy band. [More]
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JAN A.P. KACKMAREK, 71
Image Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images May 21
The Polish composer achieved global fame came in 2005 when he won a best original score Oscar for Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. [More]
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SAM HOLDSWORTH, 72
Image Credit: Chuck Pulin May 18
A co-founder of Musician magazine, he was part of a consortium that bought Billboard Publications Inc. in 1984 in a move that led him to become Billboard’s publisher. [More]
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STEVE ALBINI, 61
Image Credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images May 8
A Chicago institution, Albini engineered (he hated the “producer” tag) thousands of recordings over the decades, perhaps most notably Nirvana’s In Utero and the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa. The notoriously quick-paced studio wizard also worked with PJ Harvey, Cheap Trick, Urge Overkill, The Breeders, The Stooges, Jawbreaker and countless others. [More]
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JOEY GARDNER, 60
Image Credit: Anne Clifford May 8
An architect of the Latin Freestyle style and sound of the 1980s, the Queens native (aka Joey Pintauro) produced hits for TKA, K7 and others, and worked as an A&R rep at Tommy Boy Records before pivoting to a successful career as Anderson Cooper’s right hand man at CNN. “Joey got knocked down more than once in his life but he always got up,” Cooper said on Instagram. “And always moved forward.”
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RICO WADE, 52
Image Credit: Prince Williams/WireImage April (exact date unclear)
Considered an architect of the “Dirty South” sound as one-third of the songwriting and production team Organized Noize. Their list of credits include tracks by OutKast, Goodie Mob and TLC. He also co-founded the hip-hop/soul collective Dungeon Family. [More]
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MICHAEL CUSCUNA, 75
Image Credit: WireImage for NARAS April 20
The three-time Grammy winner and Mosaic Records co-founder produced hundreds of jazz reissues and studio sessions during his career. [More]
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BEV PAUL, 76
Image Credit: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum April 19
As general manager of Sugar Hill Records in 1990s and 2000s, Paul oversaw the label home of Dolly Parton, Nickel Creek, Jerry Douglas, Robert Earl Keen and countless other Americana greats.
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JOHN SINCLAIR, 82
Image Credit: David Fenton/Getty Images April 2
The counterculture poet and political activist briefly managed legendary rock band MC5, helping them score a contract with Elektra. [More]
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GALE SPARROW, 74
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo March 31
MTV’s longtime director of talent and artist relations during the network’s golden years. [More]
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MICHAEL MCMARTIN, 79
Image Credit: Photo courtesy: The McMartin Family. March 31
The Canada-born entrepreneur settled in Australia, where he established the framework for a professional music management community and guided the Hoodoo Gurus for four decades. [More]
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PEGI CECCONI, 70
Image Credit: Richard Sibbald March 28
The trailblazing Canadian booking agent and record label executive worked with Rush for decades as a vp at SRO Management and Anthem Entertainment Group. “Thanks Peg, for 50 years of having our backs,” said Geddy Lee, “wherever you’re headed they ain’t ready for ya!” [More]
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ERV WOOLSEY, 80
Image Credit: Courtesy of Erv Woolsey Co March 20
UMG Nashville chief Cindy Mabe said it best: the legendary manager of George Strait “loved music and built his career and businesses around serving the creative community and enjoying life, a good laugh, horse races, and country music.” [More]
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FRAN BOYD, 84
Image Credit: Courtesy of ACM March 9
A former executive director of the Academy of Country Music, Boyd played a pivotal role in shaping the ACM from its early days in California in the 1960s, all the way into the new millennium. [More]
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VINCE POWER, 76
Image Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images March 9
The legendary Irish impresario built the Mean Fiddler Music Group from the ground up, creating an empire that began as a single venue and grew to one encompassing 30 venues and events. “I just love organizing festivals,” he told Billboard in 2008. [More]
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DEBRA BYRD, 72
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images March 5
A longtime collaborator of Barry Manilow’s, Byrd is perhaps best known for her long run as vocal coach on American Idol, where she tutored future EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson and dozens of other contestants. She was also a vocal coach on the Oscar telecast in 2014 and was chair of the vocal department at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. [More]
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AMNON WEINSTEIN, 84
Image Credit: MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images March 4
The Israeli luthier and philanthropist founded Violins of Hope to fully restore violins left behind by Holocaust victims and then provide the instruments to orchestras. For his efforts, he was awarded the Legion of Honor in Israel in 2022, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2016. [More]
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LYNN FAINCHTEIN, 61
Image Credit: Presley Ann/FilmMagic March 1
The Mexican music director and producer was known for her work as music supervisor on films such as Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros and Alfonso Cuarón’s Academy Award-winning Roma. [More]
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BOB HEIL, 83
Image Credit: Derik Holtmann/Belleville News-Democrat/Tribune News Service via Getty Images February 28
An accomplished live music sound designer best known as the inventor of the Heil Talk Box — synonymous with Peter Frampton (“Show Me the Way”), Joe Walsh (“Rocky Mountain Way”) and other guitarists looking to manipulate their guitar tones with their own voice. [More]
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SHINSADONG TIGER, 40
Image Credit: Yang Ji-ung/Yonhap/AP February 23
Born Lee Ho-yang in Pohang, South Korea, the songwriter and music producer achieved great heights working with K-pop artists including EXID, Beast, T-ara and HyunA. [More]
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EDDIE CHEEBA, 67
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage February 13
A DJ regarded as a founding father of hip-hop for his innovative style of rapping over recorded tracks at NYC clubs in the 1970s. [More]
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STEVE WRIGHT, 69
Image Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images February 12
The legendary British broadcaster and host of BBC Radio 1’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon, among other programs, also dabbled in television staples like Top of the Pops. He died a day after taping the Valentine’s Day edition of his Love Songs radio show. [More]
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MOJO NIXON, 66
Image Credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images February 7
While perhaps best known for his revved-up rockabilly hits like “Elvis Is Everywhere” and “Don Henley Must Die,” Nixon was also a longtime Cincinnati radio personality and host of SiriusXM’s Loon in the Afternoon on Steven Van Zandt’s Outlaw Country channel. [More]
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TOBY KEITH, 62
Image Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic February 5
The “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and “Beer for My Horses” singer helped Scott Borchetta (with whom he worked during his Dreamworks days) launch Big Machine alongside his own label, Show Dog Nashville. [More]
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MARTIN KIRKUP, 75
Image Credit: Getty Images for City of Hope February 4
Katy Perry’s longtime manager and co-founder — with Steven Jensen — of Direct Management Group. Over the decades, he also worked closely with the B-52s, Tracy Chapman, k.d. lang, the Go-Go’s, Counting Crows and many others. [More]
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FRANK FARIAN, 82
Image Credit: Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images January 23
The German producer and occasional singer (see: Boney M) will forever be known for concocting Milli Vanilli, the pop vocal group featuring two dancers (Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus) who didn’t sing a note. [More]
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ANNIE NIGHTINGALE, 83
Image Credit: Peter Stone/Mirrorpix via Getty Images January 12
The London native earned a lofty string of “firsts” — BBC Radio 1’s first female DJ, the first woman to solo host a rock music TV show (The Old Grey Whistle Test) and she still ranks No. 1 in lists of longest-serving female radio host at over 50 years. [More]
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MIKE TAYLOR, 54
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo January 11
The U.S.-born music executive made his mark in Australia, where he was head of A&R at Sony Music for many years before a a 15-year tenure with Universal Music Australia, where he was founding general manager and head of Island Records Australia. [More]
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LEON WILDES, 90
Image Credit: James Garrett/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images January 8
While initially brought in to help John Lennon and Yoko Ono extend their visas, the prominent immigration lawyer soon had to fend off the Nixon administration’s attempts to deport the couple. He eventually won, and Lennon was given his green card. [More]
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DEL PALMER, 71
Image Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images January 5
The English musician and songwriter was entangled — both professionally and romantically — with Kate Bush for decades and is best known for engineering and mixing her classic albums Hounds of Love, The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, among others.
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BOB FEAD, 89
Image Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images January 2
The Edwin Jackson of the music biz, Fead (pictured, left) held key positions at a multitude of labels over the decades, including A&M Records, Liberty Records, RCA, Alfa Records (which he launched), Monument Records, Pacific Arts Video, Famous Music and Warner Chappell Music. “Both [his] opinion and advocacy changed lives!” said ASCAP president Paul Williams. [More]