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Wayne Osmond, the second-oldest of the legendary Osmond Brothers, died on Wednesday (Jan. 1). He was 73 years old.
The musician’s family confirmed the news of his death in a statement to Salt Lake City news station, KSL TV. “Wayne Osmond, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife and five children,” the statement reads. “His legacy of faith, music, love, and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world. He would want everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. We love him and will miss him dearly.”
Following the news of his death, a number of Wayne’s family members took to social media to honor him. Jay Osmond said that he has “always felt the most connected to Wayne out of all of my siblings.”
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“My heart is deeply saddened for the loss of my brother Wayne. It is said that where there is great love there is great grief as we part during our earthly journey,” the post reads. “What gives me joy is to know that my brother ‘Wings’ has earned his wings and I can only imagine the heights he is soaring right now.”
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Merrill Osmond noted in his post that Wayne had suffered a “massive stroke” and was hospitalized shortly before his death. “My brother was a saint before he came into this world, and he will leave as an even greater saint than he came in,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “I’ve never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolute no guile. An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”
He continued, “His departure from this earth will be a sad moment for some, but for those who are waiting for him on the other side, there will be a massive celebration beyond anything we can imagine.”
Wayne, one of nine Osmond siblings, started a barbershop quartet in 1958 alongside his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay. After getting discovered from a Disneyland performance, the boys were cast over a seven-year period on NBC’s The Andy Williams Show beginning in 1962. When brothers Jimmy and Donny joined the group, they became known as the Osmonds and were the standout teen idols throughout the 1970s.
The Osmond family was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. Wayne is survived by his wife Kathlyn Louise White and their five children.
Dr. Sasha J. Carr, a clinical psychologist who focused on family care for all ages, died in Norwalk, Conn., on Saturday (Dec. 28). She was 55. A cause of death has not been reported.
Dr. Carr was the daughter of Barbara Carr, longtime co-manager of Bruce Springsteen, and the stepdaughter of music critic and author Dave Marsh.
She was predeceased by her sister Kristen Ann Carr, who died in 1993 at age 21 of sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. The Kristen Ann Carr Fund, supported by major artists and executives, was established in her sister’s memory to advance sarcoma research and support families affected by cancer.
Dr. Carr was born in London, lived in New York City through her high school years and had been a longtime resident of Norwalk. In 2022, she relocated to Burlington, Vt. She attended The Chapin School in New York, received her undergraduate degree in 1992 from Brown University and was awarded a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2006 from Rutgers University.
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While her parents have been prominent in the music industry, Dr. Carr’s career followed a different path.
In Norwalk, she built a consulting practice, Off to Dreamland, and was a sought-after family sleep expert, dedicated to helping babies, children and families get the rest they need.
She was also a faculty member of the Family Sleep Institute. She published an illustrated children’s book, Putting Bungee to Bed, which empowered children to develop good sleep habits. Her passion for travel and adventure inspired her to help families in yet another way, by acting as a travel agent for kids-oriented vacations.
Dr. Carr’s career was focused on family care for all ages, and she was one of the first to address the unique and challenging role of caregivers with her book The Caregiver’s Essential Handbook: More than 1,200 Tips to Help You Care for and Comfort the Seniors in Your Life (McGraw-Hill, 2003).
Dr. Carr was a devoted mother to her beloved son Weston Kristoff Carr, 13. She is survived by Weston; her mother Barbara Carr and stepfather Dave Marsh of Norwalk; her father Patrick Carr of Florida ; and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins. Sasha was predeceased by her sister, Kristen Ann.
For those who wish to make a contribution in Dr. Carr’s memory, her family has requested donations be made to the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, for which Dr. Carr was a founding Board of Trustees member, or a charity of their choice.
Leo Dan, renowned Argentine artist and composer, has passed away at the age of 82. The news was shared across his social media accounts on Wednesday (Jan. 1).
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“This morning our beloved Leo Dan left his body in peace and with the love of his family,” read the official statement. “Thus, he returned to the pure light of his Heavenly Father, to guide us and take care of us from the infinite. Today, January 1, 2025, we invite all those who were part of his story and who were touched by his legacy, to celebrate his love, his music and his life. With much peace in our hearts, we remember and feel his deep love… forever.”
The post, which shows a recent photo of the artist holding a microphone, is also accompanied by the hashtag #LeoDanForever (in Spanish) and bible verse John 11:25: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’”
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The artist, born Leopoldo Dante Tevez, started his music career in 1963 and is known for timeless romantic hits such as “Cómo Te Extraño Mi Amor,” “Te He Prometido,” “Mary Es Mi Amor,” “Pídeme La Luna” and “Que Tiene La Niña.” Throughout his career, he’s charted across Billboard charts including Top Latin Albums and Billboard 200. In 2012, he received a Lifetime Achievement award by The Latin Recording Academy.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he presented a live album and the second part of Celebrando a Una Leyenda (Celebrating a Legend) in which he revamped 16 of his greatest hits of the ‘60s and ‘70s alongside colleagues such as Bronco, Carlos Rivera, Amanda Miguel, Natalia Jimenez and many more.
When asked what makes a musical legend, Leo Dan previously told Billboard: “Humility, faith in God, and knowing that all things will go well when he’s in your life.”
Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98. A statement issued Saturday by his family said Dolan died of natural causes, Newsday reported late Saturday.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved father and patriarch, Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision,” the statement said.
Dolan’s legacy in cable broadcasting includes the 1972 launch of Home Box Office, later known as HBO, and founding Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the U.S., Newsday reported.
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The Cleveland native, who dropped out of John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland, completed the sale of Cablevision to Altice, a European telecommunications and cable company, for $17.7 billion in June 2016.
Dolan, whose primary home was in Cove Neck Village on Long Island in New York, also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers sports franchises, Newsday reported.
James L. Dolan, one of his sons, was the Cablevision CEO from 1995 until the 2016 sale to Altice. He now is the executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. The company owns the Knicks and Rangers, among other properties, according to the MSG Sports website.
A statement from MSG Entertainment, MSG Sports and Sphere Entertainment recalled Dolan’s “vision.”
“Mr. Dolan’s vision built the foundation for the companies we are today, and as a member of our Boards he continued to help shape our future. The impact he made on the media, sports, and entertainment industries, including as the founder of Cablevision and HBO, is immeasurable,” the statement said. “We do not expect this to directly or indirectly change ownership by the Dolan family.”
Newsday, which Cablevision purchased in 2008, also came under the control of Altice with the sale. Patrick Dolan, another son of Charles Dolan, led a group that repurchased 75% of Newsday Media Group in July 2016. Patrick Dolan then purchased the remaining 25% stake in 2018.
At the time of his death, Charles Dolan and his family had a net worth of $5.4 billion, Forbes reported.
Dolan was a founder and chairman emeritus of The Lustgarten Foundation in Uniondale, New York, which conducts pancreatic cancer research.
He is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, died in 2023, Newsday reported.
OG Maco died at 32 years old on Thursday (Dec. 26), his manager, Poppa Perc, confirmed to Billboard on Friday (Dec. 27).
Maco — born Benedict Chiajulam Ihesiba Jr. — died while surrounded by friends and family at a Los Angeles hospital, according to TMZ, who was first to break the news.
His family later shared a joint statement confirming his death on his Instagram account. “With heavy hearts, we share the breaking news of the passing of our beloved Ben, known to the world as OG Maco. His life was a testament to resilience, creativity, and boundless love. Through his music, passion, and unwavering spirit, he touched so many lives and left a lasting impact,” they wrote. “While we grieve this immense lose, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived — one that will continue to inspire and uplift others. Maco’s influence, both as an artist and as a person, will remain forever etched in our hearts.”
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His family first revealed in a Dec. 16 statement on his Instagram that the rapper had been hospitalized. “We want to inform OG Maco’s fans, friends, and supporters that he is currently in critical but stable condition,” the statement read. “He is receiving the best possible care, and we are staying hopeful as he continues to fight.”
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While they did not share the cause for the rapper’s need for medical care, Poppa Perc previously told AllHipHop that the “U Guessed It” rapper had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The manager, who has kept fans updated on the rapper’s condition throughout the last few weeks, also appeared to post about the Atlanta rapper’s death on Friday. “We lost a legend last night,” he wrote to his Instagram Story with a broken-heart emoji.
OG Maco rose to fame out of Atlanta behind his viral hit “U Guessed It” in 2014. He signed a deal with Quality Control Music during the same year.
The OG Parker-produced “U Guessed It” peaked at No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a remix featuring fellow ATLien 2 Chainz. OG Maco’s last solo studio album, The God of Rage, arrived in 2021.
Read the full statement from OG Maco’s family confirming his death below:
Richard Parsons, one of corporate America’s most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, died Thursday. He was 76.
Parsons, who died at his Manhattan home, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited “unanticipated complications” from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later.
The financial services company Lazard, where Parsons was a longtime board member, confirmed his death. Parsons’ friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer.
Parsons stepped down Dec. 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder’s company, Estée Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estée Lauder’s board for 25 years.
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“Dick was an American original, a colossus bestriding the worlds of business, media, culture, philanthropy, and beyond,” Ronald Lauder said in a statement on behalf of the Lauder family.
David Zaslav, the CEO of Time Warner successor Warner Bros. Discovery, hailed Parsons as a “great mentor and friend” and a “tough and brilliant negotiator, always looking to create something where both sides win.”
“All who got a chance to work with him and know him saw that unusual combination of great leadership with integrity and kindness,” Zaslav said, calling him “one of the great problem solvers this industry has ever seen.”
Parsons, a Brooklyn native who started college at 16, built a track record of steering big companies through tough times.
He returned Citigroup to profitability after turmoil from the global financial crisis and helped restore Time Warner after its much-maligned acquisition by internet provider America Online.
Parsons was named to the board of CBS in September 2018 but resigned a month later because of illness.
Parsons said in a statement at the time that he was already dealing with multiple myeloma when he joined the board, but “unanticipated complications have created additional new challenges.” He said his doctors advised him to cut back on his commitments to ensure recovery.
“Dick’s storied career embodied the finest traditions of American business leadership,” Lazard said in a statement. The company, where Parsons was a board member from 2012 until this month, praised his “unmistakable intelligence and his irresistible warmth.”
“Dick was more than an iconic leader in Lazard’s history — he was a testament to how wisdom, warmth, and unwavering judgment could shape not just companies, but people’s lives,” the company said. “His legacy lives on in the countless leaders he counseled, the institutions he renewed, and the doors he opened for others.”
Parsons was known as a skilled negotiator, a diplomat and a crisis manager.
Although he was with Time Warner through its difficulties with AOL, he earned respect for the company and rebuilt its relations with Wall Street. He streamlined Time Warner’s structure, pared debt and in early 2004 sold Warner Music Group to an investor group led by the Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr. for about $2.6 billion. For Parsons, the sale represented the fulfillment of a key promise to Wall Street — he had pledged to reduce Time Warner’s debt by $8 billion by the end of 2004. Before selling the music division, Parsons had already offloaded a half-stake in Comedy Central, a share in the satellite TV company operating DirecTV, and the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers sports teams. He also secured a $750 million settlement from Microsoft to resolve an antitrust lawsuit.
He later fended off a challenge from activist investor Carl Icahn in 2006 to break up the company and helped Time Warner reach settlements with investors and regulators over questionable accounting practices at AOL.
Parsons joined Time Warner as president in 1995 after serving as chairman and chief executive of Dime Bancorp Inc., one of the largest U.S. thrift institutions.
In 2001, after AOL used its fortunes as the leading provider of Internet access in the U.S. to buy Time Warner for $106 billion in stock, Parsons became co-chief operating officer with AOL executive Robert Pittman. In that role, he was in charge of the company’s content businesses, including movie studios and recorded music.
He became CEO in 2002 with the retirement of Gerald Levin, one of the key architects of that merger. Parsons was named Time Warner chairman the following year, replacing AOL founder Steve Case, who had also championed the combination.
The newly formed company’s Internet division quickly became a drag on Time Warner. The promised synergies between traditional and new media never materialized. AOL began seeing a reduction in subscribers in 2002 as Americans replaced dial-up connections with broadband from cable TV and phone companies.
Parsons stepped down as CEO in 2007 and as chairman in 2008. A year later AOL split from Time Warner and began trading as a separate company, following years of struggles to reinvent itself as a business focused on advertising and content. Time Warner is now owned by AT&T Inc.
A board member of Citigroup and its predecessor, Citibank, since 1996, Parsons was named chairman in 2009 at a time of turmoil for the financial institution. Citigroup had suffered five straight quarters of losses and received $45 billion in government aid. Its board had been criticized for allowing the bank to invest so heavily in the risky housing market.
Citigroup returned to profit under Parsons, starting in 2010, and would not have a quarterly loss again until the fourth quarter of 2017. Parsons retired from that job in 2012.
In 2014 he stepped in as interim CEO of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers until Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took over later that year.
“Dick Parsons was a brilliant and transformational leader and a giant of the media industry who led with integrity and never shied away from a challenge,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.
Parsons, a Republican, previously worked as a lawyer for Nelson Rockefeller, a former Republican governor of New York, and in Gerald Ford’s White House. Those early stints gave him grounding in politics and negotiations. He also was an economic adviser on President Barack Obama’s transition team.
Parsons, whose love of jazz led to co-owning a Harlem jazz club, also served as Chairman of the Apollo Theater and the Jazz Foundation of America. And he held positions on the boards of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Parsons played basketball at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his law degree from Albany Law School in 1971. He is survived by his wife, Laura, and their family.
Record producer Jay David Saks, who died last month, left behind a rich and unique legacy, one that spanned the worlds of classical music and Broadway cast albums. But it all began a member of a “one-hit-wonder” group which had a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Saks died on Nov. 16 of Parkinsonism-related causes. He was 79. News of his death was confirmed by Peter Gelb of The Metropolitan Opera.
Saks won 13 Grammys between 1983 and 2014, eight for classical music and five for his work on Broadway cast albums.
He won best opera recording four times, all for work with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra/The Metropolitan Opera Chorus. He won for Verdi: La Traviata Opera Recording; Adams: Doctor Atomic; Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen and Adès: The Tempest.
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He won best musical show album five times for cast albums from Into the Woods and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and revivals of Guys and Dolls, Chicago and Gypsy.
In addition, Saks won two Daytime Emmys, both for his work on Great Performances at the Met. He won outstanding individual achievement in any area of the performing arts – audio (1983) and outstanding individual achievement in the performing arts – audio (1984).
Born in New York City, Saks grew up in The Bronx. His older sister was the cellist Toby Saks.
During the 1960’s, Saks played bass guitar with The Balloon Farm, which had a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1968 with the psychedelic pop/rock song “A Question of Temperature.” Saks wasn’t the only member of The Balloon Farm who went on to success in the industry. Fellow member Mike Appel managed Bruce Springsteen from 1972-75 and co-produced his first three albums. Their sole hit was produced by Peter Schekeryk, who went on to produce hits for his wife, Melanie, including the Hot 100-topping “Brand New Key.”
Saks studied at the Juilliard School, and later continued his studies at the Mannes College of Music, from which he graduated in 1970.
As an audio producer for CBS Masterworks, RCA Red Seal (RCA Records), Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Saks was responsible for engineering and master recording hundreds of titles.
Beginning in 1980, Saks worked with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to record and produce more than 1,600 of its telecasts, radio broadcasts and live HD transmissions.
Saks was nominated for 53 Grammys between 1977 and 2018. He received at least one Grammy nomination in 30 different years. He was nominated 10 times for classical producer of the year, but he never won in that category.
Saks’ other cast show album nominations (in addition to his five wins) were for Starting Here, Starting Now, Anything Goes, Assassins, Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!, Ragtime the Musical (for two different recordings), Cabaret, Fosse, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Man of La Mancha, Avenue Q—The Musical and The Color Purple.
Saks was also nominated for best compilation soundtrack album for a motion picture, television or other visual media for Fantasia/2000.
Saks was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2007 – outstanding sound mixing for a variety or music series or special – as audio producer for PBS’ The Magic Flute (Great Performances at the Met).
An avid runner, Saks completed one of the earliest New York City marathons.
Saks is survived by his wife, Linda Saks; their two sons, Jeremy Saks and Greg Saks; and three grandchildren, Bo Saks, May Li Saks, and Ben Saks.
Mexican singer Dulce, an iconic figure of ballad and romantic music who conquered several generations in Mexico with her powerful voice, died at the age of 69 in Mexico City after medical complications, her family and staff announced on Wednesday (Dec. 25).
“With deep sorrow and sadness, we confirm the sensitive passing of our beloved Dulce, an exceptional artist and a wonderful person who left an indelible mark in the hearts of all those who knew her,” reads a statement posted on Dulce’s Instagram account, along with a photograph of the artist.
The news of the death of the singer born Bertha Elisa Noeggerath Cárdenas was confirmed by the National Association of Actors (ANDA), the union to which the singer belonged, in a message on social media.
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“The National Actors Association deeply regrets the passing of our colleague Bertha Elisa Noeggerath Cárdenas, ‘Dulce’, a member of our union. Our condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. May she rest in peace,” reads the message published on X.
After the artist’s sister Isabel Noeggerath announced the singer’s death in a brief Facebook post, a wave of messages from various Mexican show-business figures appeared on social networks.
“My dear Dulce, your departure makes me so sad, you don’t know how much I will miss you, dear friend, thank you for all the wonderful moments we shared my doll, thank you for your love, your friendship, for always joining your voice with mine and for always being for me. Fly very high my Dulce, I will always keep you in my heart, I adore you and I will admire you forever! A tremendous artist won the sky, lots of light on your path,” wrote singer Rocío Banquells on X.
“Farewell my dearest Dulce! What a great gift it was to share with you! I’m going to miss you!” expressed singer Manoella Torres on Instagram.
“Today we have to face a loss that fills us with sadness. Dulce was a person who left her mark on those of us who were fortunate enough to know her. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and colleagues in this difficult moment. Rest in peace,” wrote Argentine singer Amanda Miguel in a message on X.
Dulce was born on July 29, 1954, in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and was a renowned artist in the Latin music scene. According to what she told on several occasions, in 1974 she met José José, who by then was already a great figure in music, and who was captivated by her voice. He was the one who got her an audition with Polygram record executives, said the artist in an interview with Imagen Televisión. In 1978 she achieved fame by participating in different musical events, such as the Mallorca Festival and the Yamaha Song Festival in Tokyo.
With her fusion of ballad and pop, she made a place for herself in the music industry in Mexico and Latin America with hits such as “Tu Muñeca,” “Lobo,” “Déjame Volver Contigo,” “Aún lo Amo,” “Hielo,” “Fui Demasiado Fácil,” “Soy Una Dama,” “Cara Cara,” “Pájaro Herido,” “Échame la Culpa a Mí” and “Cuál de los Dos.” She also performed “Amor en Silencio,” the main theme of the 1988 soap opera of the same name, written by Marco Antonio Solís.
Between 2011 and 2018, Dulce was part of the GranDiosas tour, along with Rocío Banquells, María Conchita Alonso and Karina.
Richard Perry, one of the great record producers of the 1970s and ’80s, died on Tuesday Dec. 24 at age 82. Like such contemporary producers as Jack Antonoff, Greg Kurstin, Finneas and Daniel Nigro, Perry was nearly as well-known, at least among pop obsessives, as the artists he worked with. No producer can guarantee a […]
Richard Perry, one of the most stylish and successful record producers of the 1970s and ’80s, died on Tuesday (Dec. 24) in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 82. The cause of his death was cardiac arrest, said Daphna Kastner Keitel, a friend.
Perry’s greatest hits include Nilsson’s “Without You” and Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” both of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also received Grammy nods for record of the year. These two classic hits typify Perry’s production style – immaculate, powerful and precise. Other hits that have that unmistakable Perry stamp include Leo Sayer’s “When I Need You” (also a No. 1 on the Hot 100) and Burton Cummings’ stately “Stand Tall” (a top 10 hit on the Hot 100 in 1977).
Perry produced more than 30 top 20 hits on the Hot 100, including Barbra Streisand’s dynamic version of Laura Nyro’s “Stoney End,” in which one the legendary star dove into contemporary pop music for the first time; and a long string of hits by The Pointer Sisters, including the exhilarating “I’m So Excited” and “Jump (for My Love).”
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Perry was Billboard’s Top Singles producer on the magazine’s end-of-year recaps twice, in 1977 and 1984. He received back-to-back Grammy nods for producer of the year, non-classical in 1977 and 1978.
He had a 42-year span of top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. He first made the top 10 in July 1968 with a very unlikely project, an album by pop-culture phenomenon Tiny Tim. His last album project to make the top 10 was Rod Stewart’s Fly Me to The Moon…The Great American Songbook, Vol. 5 in November 2010.
Perry produced back-to-back No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 by two different artists – Ringo Starr (“Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen” in 1973-74) and Sayer (“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” and “When I Need You, both in 1977).” The Starr smashes were historic – the first and only time that a former Beatle had back-to-back singles that reached No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Perry never won a Grammy in competition, but finally received a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy in 2015. His other nominations, not already mentioned, were album of the year for Nilsson Schmilsson (the album that housed “Without You” and its quirky follow-up hit, “Coconut”), best pop instrumental performance for an instrumental version of “Jump (For My Love)” (The Pointer Sisters won best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for the vocal version) and best music video, short form, for The Pointer Sisters’ So Excited compilation, on which he was the video director.
Perry’s long string of hits with The Pointer Sisters really showed what he could do. The group was considered a B-act, at best, when Perry announced in 1978 that he was signing them to his new Planet Records. The group had had a couple of moderate hits, but few expected them to become one of the most consistent acts in pop music. Under Perry’s guidance, they did just that, with five top five hits on the Hot 100 – a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire,” “He’s So Shy” (a Tom Snow/Cynthia Weil song with a style that harkened back to the girl-group hits of the early ’60s), “Slow Hand,” “Automatic” and “Jump (For My Love),” which went on to soundtrack one of cleverest scenes in Love Actually, when the prime minister played by Hugh Grant simply can’t resist that beat. (Who could?)
Perry was very much a pop producer, but his music touched other genres, too. He produced Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson’s “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” which reached No. 1 on Hot Country Songs in 1984 and won single of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and was nominated in that category at the Country Music Association Awards. Perry also had No. 1 hits on the R&B and dance charts.
Richard Van Perry was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 18, 1942, to Mack and Sylvia Perry, who manufactured and sold musical instruments and also served as music teachers. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1964 with a degree in music and theater, Perry returned to New York. He formed his own independent record production company, Cloud Nine Productions, in June 1965. In March 1967, he moved to Los Angeles. His first album production job was Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band’s debut, Safe as Milk, which he co-produced with Bob Krasnow. The album was released in June 1967. That November, Perry was hired by Warner Bros. Records as a staff producer.
His first assignment was recording Tiny Tim, who had become a novelty sensation on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, the runaway No. 1 show on TV. The ukelele-playing falsetto singer’s debut album, God Bless Tiny Tim, rose to No. 7 on the Billboard 200, boosted by a remake of the 1920s novelty tune “Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips With Me,” which became a top 20 hit on the Hot 100.
Perry also recorded albums with legendary stars Fats Domino (Fats Is Back) and Ella Fitzgerald (Ella), both of which cracked the Billboard 200. Perry left Warner Bros. in 1970 and almost immediately became one of the most in-demand producers in pop.
His first big score as an indie producer was Streisand’s Stoney End, released in late 1970, on which the then-28-year-old superstar was, for the first time, singing songs written by and intended for an audience of people roughly her own age. The album cracked the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in March 1971, becoming Streisand’s first top 10 album in more than four years. Perry also produced her next two albums, Barbra Joan Streisand and Live Concert at the Forum. These projects pointed the more contemporary direction for many of Streisand’s biggest successes in the 1970s, including A Star Is Born in 1976.
In 1978, Perry played a record producer in American Hot Wax, a film about DJ Alan Freed. (In 1955, at age 12, Perry had been a regular at Freed’s live shows at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater.)
Perry produced DeBarge’s “Rhythm of the Night,” a top five hit in 1985 and the first top five hit written by hit machine Diane Warren. While most of Perry’s hits were new songs, he also produced his share of hit remakes, including Johnny Burnette’s “You’re Sixteen” (for Ringo Starr, then 33, an age-inappropriate song selection that barely caused a rippled back then but would be much more problematic today), Inez Foxx (with Charlie Foxx)’s “Mockingbird” (for pop music’s “It Couple” of 1974, Carly Simon and James Taylor), The Platters’ “Only You” (also for Ringo Starr) and the Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You” (for Art Garfunkel).
In 1988, Perry produced a passion project, Rock, Rhythm and Blues, which consisted of classic oldies from the ’50s, each performed by a different contemporary artist. Elton John, Christine McVie, Chaka Khan and Michael McDonald, among others, were featured on the album. One of the tracks, Randy Travis’ version of Brook Benton’s “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and received a Grammy nod for best country vocal performance, male.
In 1993, Perry produced Ray Charles’ My World, which made the Billboard 200. A track from the album, Leon Russell’s classic “A Song for You,” made Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart and won a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance, male.
Perry and Carly Simon reunited in 2004 for the standards collection Moonlight Serenade, which reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and received a Grammy nod for best traditional pop vocal album. Perry did some of his finest work with Simon. “You’re So Vain” is simply one of the greatest singles of the 1970s. The No Secrets album, which headed the Billboard 200 for five weeks in early 1973, is a classic, from its revealing album cover (very provocative for 1972) to its no-skips lineup of songs. “Nobody Does It Better,” released in 1977, is one of the best and sexiest James Bond themes ever written (hat tip: songwriters Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager).
Perry’s last big hurrah on the Billboard charts was on Rod Stewart’s The Great American Songbook series. All five volumes, which rolled out between 2002 and 2010, made the top five on the Billboard 200. All five received Grammy nods for best traditional pop vocal album. Perry was credited as a producer on four of the five volumes.
In April 2020, Perry published his memoir, Cloud Nine: Memoirs of a Record Producer.
Perry is survived by his younger brothers Roger, Fred and Andrew. His marriages to Linda Goldner and Rebecca Broussard ended in divorce. Perry was in a relationship with actress and activist Jane Fonda from 2009 to 2017.