Died On This Date (August 16, 2011) Joel Chin / A&R Exec For VP Records; Murdered In Jamaica
themusicsover Joel Chin
DOB Unknown – August 16, 2011
Joel Chin was the Director of A&R for the family run reggae dynasty known as VP Records. Founded in New York City in 1979 by Chin’s Jamaican-born grandparents, Patricia and Vincent Chin, VP has grown into the world’s largest independent reggae label. Its name has become synonymous with contemporary roots reggae, dancehall and soca. During the mid ’90s, Chin joined the family business – his father is legendary reggae producer, Clive Chin who has worked with Black Uhuru and Augustus Pablo, to name a few. The younger Chin quickly became instrumental to the careers of Beenie Man, Beres Hammond, Sizzla, and Sean Paul whose Dutty Rock album has sold in excess of 7 million copies. Chin is also credited with creating the wildly successful reggae compilation series, Reggae Gold and Simply The Best, the genre’s answers to the NOW That’s What I Call Music pop collections. In 2009, Chin moved to Jamaica to work more directly with the label’s artists. During the late night hours of August 16, 2011, 35-year-old Joel Chin was stepping out of his car in front his Kingston home when he was fatally shot in the head in what initially appeared to have been an ambush. The assailant or assailants quickly vanished into the night and authorities were not immediately aware of any motive for the killing.
Rich Fitzgerald was a greatly respected music industry professional who took his tireless passion for music and made a successful career out of it. Raised in Seattle, Washington, it was the young Fitzgerald who was likely turning his classmates on to the newest records. He went as far, it has been said, as creating his own pop charts and distributing them to his friends. Fitzgerald began his career working for Capitol Records there in Seattle, and by the mid 1970s, he was employed by one of the hottest new labels at the time, RSO Records, where he played a role in the success of such artists as the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, and Eric Clapton with whom he would build a lifelong business and personal relationship. He was also directly involved with the pop culture phenomenons known as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Fame while at RSO. He went on to work for Network, Geffen, Reprise, and Warner Bros. Fitzgerald eventually rose to the position of Vice President of Promotions while at Warner Bros. where he helped such future stars as Madonna, Prince, Green Day, and the Pretenders get their first records played on radio. During his final years, Fitzgerald was working directly with Clapton. Rich Fitzgerald was 64 when he died of esophageal cancer on August 15, 2011.
Tom Tilton was a long time sales executive for Capitol Records and later, its distribution arm which was renamed Cema Distribution during the late ’80s. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Tilton went to work for Capitol as a young man, and ultimately found himself running the Cema sales branch in Dallas, Texas where he was loved and respected by his staff and colleagues throughout the entire company. During his tenure with Capitol-EMI Music, Tilton played a key role in the successes of such artists as varied as the Beatles, Duran Duran, Bob Seger, Tina Turner, Garth Brooks, Iron Maiden, and the Beach Boys. Tilton left the music industry during the mid ’90s, but stayed in the Dallas area where he farmed and raised horses and cattle for the rest of his working life. Tom Tilton was 75 when he passed away peacefully on August 14, 2011.
Jani Lane is perhaps best remembered as the front man and main lyricist for the wildly successful late ’80s / early ’90s hair metal band, Warrant who went on to sell over four million albums. Lane was just barely out of diapers when he first learned to play the drums in Akron, Ohio, and by the time he was 11, he was performing at local clubs. After graduating from high school, he joined his first proper band, Cyren, and by the mid ’80s, he was in the thick of L.A.’s exploding pop-metal scene with his own band, Plain Jane. In 1986, Lane and band mate Steven Sweet joined forces with guitarist, Erik Turner in the latter’s up-and-coming glam metal band, Warrant. The group quickly built a following throughout West Hollywood’s storied Sunset Strip clubs thanks in part to Lane’s commanding stage presence and talent as a songwriter. It wasn’t long before they were signed to Columbia Records, who went on to release a string of hit albums that included the double-platinum sellers, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich and Cherry Pie. The colorful band fast became darlings of MTV with such videos “Down Boys” and “Cherry Pie,” and found themselves playing in front of countless screaming fans around the world. Following the release of Warrant’s third album, Dog Eat Dog, Lane decided to leave the group, but returned the following year and continued on until 2004, only to leave again and return for one last time in 2008. By the end of that year however, he was gone for good due to conflicts within the band. Throughout the 2000s, Lane lent his vocal talents to several other projects, released a solo album, and was part of the hard rock supergroup of sorts, Saints of the Underground, which included members of Ratt and Alice Cooper’s band. Lane also dabbled in acting, appearing such early ’90s films as Caged Fear and High Strung. In 2005, he competed in VH1’s reality fitness program, Celebrity Fit Club where he lost 23 pounds. On August 11, 2011, Jani Lane, age 47, was found dead in a Woodland Hills, California hotel room. The Los Angeles Coroner’s office ultimately ruled that he died of acute ethanol poisoning.
Member of the 