Jerry Heller, Controversial N.W.A. Manager, Dead at 75

Jerry Heller, the veteran music executive who served as N.W.A.‘s first manager and co-founded Ruthless Records, has died at the age of 75, Billboard reports. According to the Washington Post, Heller “died Friday night at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, California, after suffering a heart attack while driving earlier in the day.” 

Heller started his career in the 1960s, and spent two decades working as an agent and tour promoter for artists such as Marvin Gaye, Kraftwerk, the Who, Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and others.

In the 1980s, Heller began managing Los Angeles hip-hop acts like World Class Wreckin’ Cru and C.I.A., which included Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. He co-founded Ruthless Records with Eazy-E, and managed N.W.A. from 1987 until the group first disbanded in 1991, though Heller continued to work with Eazy-E until his death in 1995. Ruthless Records was also the home of acts including Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, J.J. Fad, the D.O.C., and more.

During his time managing N.W.A., Heller disputed with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre over financial issues, which ultimately led to both artists leaving the group. Last year, Paul Giamatti portrayed Heller in the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Heller, unhappy with how he was depicted, filed a defamation lawsuit against Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, the estate of Eazy-E, NBC Universal, and others.

In 2006, Heller published Ruthless: A Memoir.

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