Died On This Date (August 15, 2012) Rich Fitzgerald / Veteran Record Label Executive
themusicsover Rich Fitzgerald
February 23, 1947 – August 15, 2011
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.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number 1 Albums for the assist.
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 
Billy Grammer (born Billie) was a country music singer and guitarist who scored several hits during the 1960s, including the million-selling “Gotta Travel On,” which ultimately reached the top 5 on both the country and pop charts. After serving in the Army during WWII, Grammer settled in the Nashville area where he was signed to Monument Records. He went on to record such hits as “Gotta Travel On,” “The Real Thing,” and “I Wanna Go Home,” which became a hit again for Mel Tillis, but as “Detroit City.” In 1965, Grammer co-founded RG&G Guitar Company where he launched his Grammer Guitar. The company was later named Grammer Guitar, Inc. and continued to sell the popular model until 1970. An original Grammer resides at the Country Music Hall of Fame. On May 15, 1972, Grammer became an American politics footnote when he and his band performed at the political rally at which then Alabama Governor and Presidential candidate George Wallace was shot and paralyzed by an assailant. Two years later, Grammer delivered the invocation at the opening of the Grand Ole Opry. Billy Grammer was two weeks shy of his 86th birthday when he passed away on August 10, 2011.