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.
Jay Dee Springbett was perhaps best known as a judge on Australian Idol, the country’s version of the immensely popular televised talent show, American Idol. The Australian program began in July of 2003, with Springbett coming on to replace the controversial Kyle Sandilands in 2009. As a judge, Springbett quickly became known as the “nice guy.” Born in the UK, Springbett spent six years as a respected A&R rep for Sony Music where he was directly involved with the careers of Guy Sebastian, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and Human Nature, to name a few. Jay Dee Springbett was 36 when he was found dead in his apartment on June 30, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released, but authorities did not suspect foul play.
Steve Popovich was a long-time music industry powerhouse who, over a career that spanned some 50 years wore many hats. He started in the Columbia Records warehouse in 1962, and quickly moved into radio promotion, sales, TV promotion and even inventory control. In those early years, he helped promote the likes of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Simon & Garfunkel, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. In 1972, he became Columbia’s Vice President of Promotion – appointed by Clive Davis. At just 26, he was the youngest VP there ever. In 1974, he moved over to Epic Records where he helped launch the careers of Boston, Cheap Trick, and Ted Nugent, to name just a few. In 1977, Popovich founded Cleveland International Records where he would release Meat Loaf’s landmark album Bat Out Of Hell, which went on to sell upwards of 40 million copies during an era when most new releases sold at best, 5000 copies. He later went on to work as Sr Vice President at Polygram Nashville where he was responsible for numerous other successes. In recent years, Popovich found himself embroiled in a legal battle with Sony Music over royalties and failure to put the Cleveland International logo on millions of CDs. Steve Popovich died of an apparent heart attack on June 8, 2011. He was 69.