Who Was Eddie Rosenblatt? The Skillful Geffen Records President Passes Away At 89
Eddie Rosenblatt led one of the prime music labels in the industry, working with well-known artists from Nirvana to Guns N’ Roses.
Trigger Warning: This article contains a mention of death.
The music industry is in shock again as it has heard the news of Eddie Rosenblatt passing away. The name was widely known as the longtime president of Geffen Records. Let's get to know who this legend was and what place he held in the music industry.
The news of his death was confirmed by his son.
Who was Eddie Rosenblatt?
Eddie Rosenblatt was the president of Geffen Records for a very long time. He was appointed to the stated position at the time of the label’s inception.
As per reports, Rosenblatt played a very crucial role in shaping the future of Geffen Records, helping it to become a powerhouse in the music industry. Following his leadership, the record label boosted the success of well-known and legendary bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana, as well as artists like Don Henley.
Eddie Rosenblatt was born in Queens, New York, in 1934. He had first been a part of the Army. Later, after completing Macy’s management training program, he stepped into the music industry, starting with Cosnat Distributing.
The icon had moved to Cleveland and started working with distribution around the 1960s. Soon he joined Main Line Distribution and got in touch with well-acclaimed names in the industry such as Jerry Moss, Jac Holzman, and more. He later even gained experience while working with A&M Records and Warner Bros.
His work ethic at Warner Bros. caught the attention of David Gefen, who then appointed Eddie Rosenblatt as the president of Geffen Records. This was when the label was founded in the 1980s.
The label initially had a roster of artists like John Lennon, Elton John, and Donna Summer and got its first success from Lennon’s album Double Fantasy.
Soon, during the 1980s and 1990s, the record label managed artists ranging from the hard rock genre to even a few alternative acts. The artists that were on the roster of Gefen Records were Weezer, Whitesnake, Peter Gabriel, and more.
In 1990, after Gefen Records was sold to MCA for $550 million, David Geffen moved out and launched DreamWorks SKG. However, Rosenblatt was still the leader of the label, working as its president.
Eddie Rosenblatt passed away
The big name in the music industry, Eddie Rosenblatt, died on Tuesday, July 16. He passed away at a Santa Barbara-based hospital. The leader of Geffen Records was 89 when he passed away.
His death was confirmed by his son Michael who mentioned the cause of death to be pneumonia.
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