Died On This Date (January 18, 2008) Eric Ferris / Marketing Executive; Hollywood Records
themusicsover Eric Ferris
DOB Unknown – January 18, 2008
Eric Ferris was a rising star in the record industry. He began his career in 1998 as an assistant at Creative Artist Agency (CAA), then moved over to the label side as an assistant at Virgin Records where he worked his way up to VP of Marketing. He helped build the careers of such artists as Lenny Kravitz, N.E.R.D., the Rolling Stones and Smashing Pumpkins. He later moved on the Hollywood Records to be their Sr. VP of Marketing. He passed away on January 18, 2008 from neuro-endocrine cancer.
Please contribute to the Ferris Children’s Benefit Fund
Vic Chesnutt was a respected singer-songwriter from the Athens, Georgia area. Chesnutt began writing songs when he was just five years old. He’s one of those rare talents that was rightfully called a songwriter’s songwriter. When he was 18, Chesnutt was involved in a car accident that left him confined to a wheelchair and in need of medical care through the rest of his life. His big break came in the late ’80s when R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe discovered his talent and produced his first two albums. Over the course of his career, he released over a dozen studio albums. In 1996, artists like Madonna, R.E.M., and the Smashing Pumpkins came together to record his songs for an album that was to help him with his skyrocketing medical bills. Ironically, he wasn’t eligible to collect the funds since he had medical insurance. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to cover the expenses. On December 24, 2009, Vic Chesnutt was reported to have been in a coma following an overdose of muscle relaxants. He died on Christmas Day at the age of 45.
