Statement from Atlantic Records
December 14, 2006
Ahmet Ertegun, Founding Chairman of Atlantic Records, passed away today in
Dr. Howard A Riina, Mr. Ertegun's neurosurgeon at
Mr. Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native
"All of us at Atlantic Records are profoundly saddened by the loss of our founder and mentor," said Atlantic Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman. "The music community has lost a pioneer and an icon, and we have lost our father. Ahmet changed the course of modern music and culture, and he will live on through the timeless legacy of work that was created under his direction and care. Musicians loved him, because he truly loved them and spoke their language. The essence of Ahmet Ertegun is the essence of Atlantic Records. His passion for music and his devotion to the artists who make it have been at the very heart of this company for six decades. The soul of Ahmet Ertegun will forever be our guiding spirit, and as long as there is an Atlantic Records, it will be Ahmet Ertegun's company. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ahmet's wife, Mica, and his family during this very difficult time."
"Ahmet never stopped working, because for him, it was never work, it was life," said Atlantic President Julie Greenwald. "He started
"Ahmet's visionary talents as a businessman and as a recording industry pioneer are the stuff of legend, but it is his lifelong pursuit of truth - as distilled into music - that I find most inspiring," said Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music Group Chairman and CEO. "For all of us at Warner Music, it has been an honor to work with Ahmet. He showed us all how to live life with passion, integrity, generosity, and joy, and we will miss him deeply."
"I feel so privileged to be able to say that Ahmet Ertegun was a mentor," said Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO, U.S. Recorded Music, Warner Music Group. "Here was a man who combined substance and style like no one else. Who affected millions upon millions of people through the music his artists created. Who nurtured those artists under his watchful eye. We were blessed to have him. There will never be another Ahmet Ertegun. His life was simply too incredible to ever be matched by a single human being."
Ahmet M. Ertegun
One of the most important figures in the history of modern music, Ahmet Ertegun was born in
Under Ahmet's direction,
Ahmet was founder and Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In recognition of his pioneering contributions to contemporary music and culture, he was himself elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Museum's main exhibition hall in
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