Seymour Stein, the co-founder of Sire Records, passed away on Sunday in Los Angeles at the age of 80 following a battle with cancer, his family said in a statement.
Over his career as a record executive, Stein aided the careers of numerous artists, including the rock band Talking Heads and singer Madonna.
He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2005 and formed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
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The King Records in Cincinnati, where the New Yorker interned during the summers as a youngster, helped establish James Brown’s musical career. By his mid-20s, Stein had also co-founded Sire Productions, which subsequently evolved into Sire Records.
He had grown up with a great understanding and love of music due to his obsession with the Billboard music charts.
During the New Wave era in the 1970s and 1980s, he signed record deals with the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and the Pretenders.
Before divorcing in the 1970s, Stein had a brief relationship with record promoter and real estate executive Linda Adler.
Mandy Stein, a filmmaker, and Samantha Lee Jacobs, who passed away from brain cancer in 2013, were his and Adler’s two children.