Former head of CBS records Walter Yetnikoff has passed away at the age of 87.
Yetnikoff presided over many huge releases by superstars including Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones during his time with the label before he fell from grace.
According to the New York Times, Yetnikoff's wife confirmed he died on Sunday and cancer was the cause of death.
He would have turned 88 on Wednesday.
He was born in Brooklyn and described his childhood as being "difficult".
While at college, he switched his studies from engineering to pre-law and joined the firm Rosenman & Colin after graduating.
Other figures at the firm included Clive Davis, who would also go on to have a huge influence on the music business.
Yetnikoff came into power during the 1970s just as modern music was taking off. He is said to have prided himself on taking a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners, booze-for-breakfast style.
In 2004, in his memoir, Howling at the Moon: The Odyssey of a Monstrous Music Mogul in an age of Excess, Yetnikoff claimed he worked this way to create "a ferocious character that the industry would respect".
In 1990, three years after Sony bought CBS thanks to Yetnikoff's recommendation, the company sacked him because of his offensive ways.
Fans and famous names in the music industry took to social media to send their condolences following his death.
Michael Jackson's estate tweeted on the singer's Twitter page: "RIP Walter Yetnikoff, a titan in the music business. Michael’s friend, confidante and unwavering supporter, Walter used his leverage as head of CBS Records to help Michael smash MTV’s color barrier by forcing the network to play the iconic “Billie Jean” short film.
"Walter took the groundbreaking step of giving Michael ownership of his masters, unheard of in the business at the time. Walter knew the only way to unleash a special talent like Michael onto the world was to trust the artist to follow his own instincts.
"As Michael put it, “he’s encouraged me to be my own man and to do the things that had to be done the way I had to do them.” Everyone‘s thoughts and prayers go out to Walter’s loved ones."
Billy Joel also told the LA Times : "Walter was a street fighter. A man who didn’t shy away from confrontation with other power players when it came to protecting his artist’s interests.
"I loved him as a dear friend and a mentor, in a business where real friendships don’t exist."
And Bruce Springsteen also labelled Yetnikoff his "friend" and said: "A wild man in the old school music business tradition, yup. But when the chips were down and the records were getting made and you were getting paid, he was there 100%.
"I loved Walter because he respected and shepherded my art through an often hostile and unfriendly music business. I considered him my friend.”
Yetnikoff is survived by Lynda, his second wife, and sons Michael and Daniel.
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