Recently Dead

Bernie Brillstein, the pioneering manager and producer who guided the careers of such talents as Jim Henson, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and Lorne Michaels, died last night of chronic pulmonary disease. He was 77 and had been suffering from complications stemming from double-bypass heart surgery in February. The former William Morris agent was an influential force in the 1975 launch of NBC's Saturday Night Live, and later became a partner with Brad Grey in Hollywood's most successful management company in the 1980s and '90s. "He was talented and brilliant, and hilarious," Grey said today. "I have a debt to Bernie for so many reasons that I can never possibly repay. He was my mentor, my partner, and my friend. He was like a father to me and he treated me like a son. (via Variety; photo: Danny Moloshok/AP)

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