Jerry Heller, controversial N.W.A manager, died this past Friday at the age of 75. According to Billboard, after suffering from heart attack while driving Heller crashed his car and was taken to a local hospital in Thousand Oaks, CA, where he eventually died. It has not yet been determined if the cause of death was the heart attack, the injuries from the crash or a combination of the two.
In the late 1980’s Heller managed N.W.A to fame and success. Heller and Eazy-E shared a close relationship, while he often fought with other members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, particularly over financial matters. Despite the internal arguments, Heller helped the group spread hardcore Hip-Hop around the globe. After N.W.A ended in 1991 Heller continued to manage Eazy-E until 1995.
Last year following the release of N.W.A’s biopic Straight Outta Compton, Heller filed a defamation lawsuit against Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and the film’s producers, claiming he was not appropriately portrayed.
Heller has also worked with Marvin Gaye, Kraftwerk, The Who, Pink Floyd, and others.
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