According to a press release from original N.W.A. publicist Phyllis Pollack, Jerry Heller, the music executive famous for managing the legendary rap group N.W.A., passed away on September 2, 2016. He was 75 years old. Together, with the late rapper Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, the two formed Ruthless Records. With Heller and Wright as equal partners, Ruthless became the first entirely black-owned record company to release gold, platinum and multi-platinum rap albums. Eazy-E was the founding member of the group N.W.A., which rose to fame with members Dr. Dre (Andre Young), DJ Ren (Lorenzo Patterson), DJ Yella (Antoine Carraby), and Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson). N.W.A. became famous after the release of its highly publicized 1988 album, Straight Outta Compton. It was followed by the release of Wright’s debut solo album, Eazy-Duz-It. Compton was now an international household name.
In addition to N.W.A. and Eazy-E, among the labels’ many other artists, were HWA and the Grammy-winning Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Ruthless also signed Will I Am. The group Will formed was signed to the label by Jerry Heller's nephew, Terry Heller. Tragically, their completed album was never released by Ruthless, because of Wright’s death. Three years later, Will I Am achieved fame with his group, the Black Eyed Peas, when they were released by Interscope Records. The success of Ruthless Records inspired fans around the world, spawning the careers of future artists. Heller often referred to NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, as “the most important albums of the twentieth century.”
At the time of his death, Heller was involved in a lawsuit that he filed last October, in response to the fictionalized characterization of him, which was played by Paul Giamatti, in the 2015 theatrical release, Straight Outta Compton. Despite the fictional biopic’s depictions, Wright never fired Heller. In real life, there were never any financial indiscretions on Heller's part. Nor did any artists ever sue Heller during his long career. No financial indiscretions were ever found, or proven to exist when it came to Ruthless Records or Jerry Heller.
On Friday, September 2, Heller suffered a fatal heart attack while driving. He was taken to Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, where he soon died. Survivors include his cousin Gary Ballen, Kenneth Heller, Jerry’s younger brother, and father of Jerry’s nephew, Terry Heller, who is a restaurateur and real estate investor. Terry Heller said of his famous uncle, “To the world, they lost a legend. I lost a best friend.” Terry noted that Heller "loved Eazy like a son.” Heller was surrounded by family as he passed away and spent his final moments in the hospital, doing what he loved most— listening to Eazy-E’s music.
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com
