Controversial music manager Jerry Heller died Friday of unspecified causes in a Thousand Oaks, California, hospital, his cousin told Billboard. He was 75 years old.
Heller was best known as the manager of N.W.A., a groundbreaking hip hop group from Compton, California, that was key to the development and popularization of gangsta rap. The original N.W.A. lineup featured Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube. Before getting into rap and hip hop, Heller worked with artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Marvin Gaye.
In his later years, Heller was embroiled in disputes pertaining to his management of N.W.A., including an unfavorable portrayal in 2015's N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton. Heller sued the film's producers over its perceived inaccuracies, protesting the depiction of him underpaying artists and pocketing the difference. "I've been in the business for six decades. I've probably represented almost every major artist in the world, either directly or peripherally, at one time or another," Heller said of his lawsuit. "I have a certain reputation, and that reputation certainly doesn't entail the things that they said about me. It was very hurtful."
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