Legendary rock producer Sandy Pearlman has passed on at age 72, with his friend Robert Duncan breaking the news on Facebook last night, writing that his friend “passed peacefully, surrounded by love.”
His death follows a cerebral hemorrhage that Pearlman suffered in December, leaving hikm “unable to walk, talk or fully comprehend his circumstances,” according to a Go Fund Me page set up by Duncan.
Best known for his work with on The Clash‘s Give Em Enough Rope and co-producing Blue Öyster Cult‘s iconic hit Don’t Fear The Reaper. You might remember Christopher Walken playing a fictional producer if that track in the famous Saturday Night Live “More Cowbell” sketch.
When asked later about that sketch, Pearlman joked that, “actually, I needed less cowbell.”
Pearlman also managed several acts, including the Blue Oyster Cult and even Black Sabbath. As reported by Yahoo, some have credited Pearlman with coining the phrase “heavy metal” during his time working for rock mag Crawdaddy.
You can read Duncan’s full post here below.
Listen: Blue Oyster Cult – Don’t Fear the Reaper
