December 15, 2006 @ 11:00 am

Founding Chairman of Atlantic Records Dies

by: Mariel Concepcion

Ertegun had been hospitalized with a head injury since October 29, when he fell backstage at a Rolling Stones concert at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan. "Mr. Ertegun suffered a severe brain injury after he fell in October," said Dr. Howard A Riina, Mr. Ertegun's neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center. "He was in a coma and passed away with his family at his bedside." "All of us at Atlantic Records are profoundly saddened by the loss of our founder and mentor," said Atlantic Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman. "The music community has lost a pioneer and an icon, and we have lost our father. The soul of Ahmet Ertegun will forever be our guiding spirit, and as long as there is an Atlantic Records, it will be Ahmet Ertegun's company. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ahmet's wife, Mica, and his family during this very difficult time." "Ahmet's visionary talents as a businessman and as a recording industry pioneer are the stuff of legend, but it is his lifelong pursuit of truth - as distilled into music - that I find most inspiring," said Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music Group Chairman and CEO. "For all of us at Warner Music, it has been an honor to work with Ahmet. He showed us all how to live life with passion, integrity, generosity, and joy, and we will miss him deeply." Ahmet Ertegun was born in Istanbul, Turkey on July 31, 1923. Inspired by his passion for music, the son of the Turkish Ambassador to the United States borrowed $10,000 from his dentist and founded Atlantic Records in New York City in the fall of 1947. He signed artists such as Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, The Clovers, The Drifters, John Coltrane, Ben E. King, Bobby Darin, Sonny & Cher, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Phil Collins, and many others. He never retired and remained active at Atlantic until his death, serving as Founding Chairman of the company he started six decades ago. "Ahmet never stopped working, because for him, it was never work, it was life," said Atlantic President Julie Greenwald. "Ahmet touched the lives of artists, producers, songwriters, and countless others who were blessed by his creativity, wisdom, and humor. He was the real deal, and the world will be a far lesser place without him." "I feel so privileged to be able to say that Ahmet Ertegun was a mentor," said Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO, U.S. Recorded Music, Warner Music Group. "We were blessed to have him. There will never be another Ahmet Ertegun. His life was simply too incredible to ever be matched by a single human being." Mr. Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey. A memorial service will be conducted in New York after the New Year.

See Star Galleries: Juelz Santana, Trina, Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna, Jamie Foxx, Jermaine Dupri, Ashanti and more.

Get free daily email and mobile alerts from VIBE.com.

Need a great holiday gift idea? Give a subscription to VIBE -- 12 issues for just $11.95! Just click here now! It's holiday shopping made ridiculously easy!
Have a news tip? Email us