Bud O'Shea obit

BUD O’SHEA, the archetypal West Coast promo man, who worked at Capitol, RCA and CBS during the golden age, passed away on Saturday in a long-term-care facility near Phoenix. Bud’s ex-wife Donna had been caring for him since he became ill in L.A. some years ago. “Bud was the Capitol promo rep in San Francisco during Haight-Ashbury era and one of the best I ever dealt with when I was in radio,” recalls his friend Bob Sherwood. “It was Bud who celebrated the opening of Russ Solomon’s landmark Columbus and Bay Tower store—the first of music retail’s superstores—by renting an elephant, having it painted pink and delivering it to the parking lot to commemorate the release of The Band’s Music From Big Pink.” O’Shea later successfully transitioned into the video business, becoming one of the leaders in establishing the VHS industry during the late ’70s/early ’80s. At various points in his career, Bud was the head of CBS/Fox, MGM and Paramount Home Video. He was also part of the Sony/Philips team, also including Sherwood and Emile Petrone, that introduced what became DVD to related industries. Says Sherwood: “I loved that man and hope he’s gone to a better place. To paraphrase his former artist Linda Ronstadt, ‘I’m gonna miss him for a long, long time.” A memorial is being planned in San Francisco; details to follow. (1/20a)