AARON RUSSO - MUSIC MANAGER RUSSO DIES

MUSIC MANAGER RUSSO DIES

Music manager and film producer AARON RUSSO died after a six year battle with cancer on Friday (24Aug07). He was 64. The Brooklyn, New York-born producer passed away on Friday morning surrounded by family at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His partner Heidi Gregg says, "He was my best friend for 27 years. Aaron was a freedom fighter, a filmmaker and a lover of life." Russo began his music career promoting rocks acts in the 1960s, such as Janis Joplin and The Grateful Dead. During the 1970s he managed Bette Midler and went on to produce her 1979 film The Rose and 1983 Eddie Murphy comedy Trading Places. Russo is survived by his two children with Gregg - Sam, 22; and Max, 25.