Beverly Hills police are still searching for a murderer and a motive in the shooting death of Ronni Chasen, a publicity agent who helped generate Oscar buzz for films including Thelma & Louise and The Hurt Locker. Chasen was shot several times last week as she drove her Mercedes home from a Beverly Hills party celebrating the premiere of Burlesque, starring Cher and Christina Aguilera.
“Was it an attempted carjacking? Or something more sinister?” asked the Associated Press. It’s hard to believe Chasen might have had a secret life, friends say. “A woman who had spent her career rushing from red carpet to red carpet” seemingly had little time for secrets.
Until her baffling death last week, Chasen was best known as one of “the last of a breed of old-school Hollywood press agents who politely but persistently refused to take ‘no’ for an answer,” said Daily Variety. Born in New York City, she got her start acting in soap operas, then did publicity for New York theaters before moving to Hollywood to manage publicity for American International Pictures. After a lengthy stint running the movie division of a PR firm, she went into business for herself. “Known for sporting a poufy blonde blowout and for her distinctive fast-talking, New York–accented style,” Chasen was a relentless advocate for her clients, including some of Hollywood’s best-known composers, such as Danny Elfman, Ennio Morricone, and Diane Warren.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Chasen also directed the Academy Awards campaigns for many films, including Driving Miss Daisy and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, said the Los Angeles Times. Gifted with “pure, unadulterated salesmanship,” she appeared to wield “some sort of hypnotic power” over Hollywood journalists. Her “old-fashioned star” power also worked on directors and actors, “who were clients for decades because they became her friends.” Her fellow Hollywood publicists, normally a rivalrous lot, have contributed more than $25,000 to fund a reward for information leading to her killer’s arrest.
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach BoysFeature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluseFeature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin AmericaFeature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
-
Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasureIn the Spotlight Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts
-
James Earl Jones: classically trained actor who gave a voice to Darth VaderIn the Spotlight One of the most respected actors of his generation, Jones overcame a childhood stutter to become a 'towering' presence on stage and screen
-
Michael Mosley obituary: television doctor whose work changed thousands of livesIn the Spotlight TV doctor was known for his popularisation of the 5:2 diet and his cheerful willingness to use himself as a guinea pig
-
Morgan Spurlock: the filmmaker who shone a spotlight on McDonald'sIn the Spotlight Spurlock rose to fame for his controversial documentary Super Size Me
