MUSIC MOGUL GARY KURFIRST DEAD AT 60!

REST IN PEACE

Rock impresario GARY KURFIRST has died at the age of 60. The music mogul, credited with helping to launch the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, and Jeff Beck, passed away on Tuesday (13Jan09) while holidaying in the Bahamas. He was the long-time manager of artists including the Ramones, Eurythmics, B52s, Talking Heads, Jane's Addiction, and Big Audio Dynamite.

During his 40-year career in the music business, Kurfirst became known for spotting emerging talent and music trends. He opened New York's infamous Village Theater - which later became the Fillmore East - in 1967, and a year later he staged the New York Rock Festival at the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadow Park, at which Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, and Janis Joplin performed.

Kurfirst later moved into management, signing on acts including punk pioneers the Ramones, and worked as a film producer with credits including the Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense and David Byrne's True Stories. Seymour Stein, vice president of Warner Bros. Records, says, "Gary was brilliant in his ability to spot changes in music ahead of most people and had the courage to act on his instincts. Gary was tough, but not cut-throat in business. He could fight hard, but fair and never held grudges. Gary had great style.” Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth released a joint statement, which reads:

“Gary Kurfirst has been our manager since 1977. He never failed to take care of business for us. He protected us. He allowed Talking Heads to be Talking Heads while he took the blows that the music business dealt us. Gary truly was the fifth Talking Head. We were very close friends and we will miss him terribly.”

No cause of death was available as of yet.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family....