Jerry Heller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerry Heller
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Heller in 2004
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| Born |
Gerald Elliot Heller
October 6, 1940 |
| Died | September 2, 2016 (aged 75) |
| Resting place | Eden Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Music manager |
| Years active | 1961–2016 |
| Spouse(s) |
Gayle Steiner
(m. 1996; div. 2014) |
Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for managing important West Coast rap and gangsta rap groups like N.W.A and Eazy-E.
Heller became well-known in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with many famous bands and artists. These included Journey, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, War, Eric Burdon, Crosby Stills & Nash, Ike & Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding, the Who, REO Speedwagon, Black Sabbath, Humble Pie, Styx, the Grass Roots, and the Standells.
In the mid-1980s, he started working with R&B and hip hop artists. Some of these were Michel'le, World Class Wreckin' Cru, J. J. Fad, The D.O.C., Egyptian Lover, and LA Dream Team. Heller played a big part in the rise of West Coast rap music. He managed Ruthless Records with Eazy-E. They helped discover and manage groups like N.W.A, The Black Eyed Peas, Above the Law, The D.O.C., and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
Gerald Heller was born into a Jewish family in Cleveland, Ohio. He served in the United States Army. Later, he went to college at the University of Southern California. In 1963, he started working in the agency business.
He worked at several agencies before opening his own, the Heller-Fischel Agency. This agency was in Beverly Hills. It represented rock groups like the Who, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, and Humble Pie. It also worked with writers such as Carly Simon and Van Morrison. Heller believed in helping artists by arranging tours with other popular acts. This helped keep them successful even between hit records.
Rise of West Coast Rap
In the mid-1980s, Heller began managing rap musicians. This was when rap music started to become very popular in the U.S. His work with Ruthless Records and Eazy-E was very important. It helped build the success of other record labels like Priority Records and Interscope Records.
Ruthless Records sold over 110 million records. Heller helped start the careers of artists and producers like Dr. Dre. These artists sold millions of records for other labels too. When Eazy-E passed away, Ruthless Records was earning a lot of money each month.
Managing Key Artists
In the 1980s, Heller began managing artists in the growing Los Angeles hip hop scene. He managed groups like C.I.A., which included Ice Cube. He also managed the World Class Wreckin' Cru, which had Dr. Dre and DJ Yella.
On March 3, 1987, Heller met Eazy-E. They became co-founders of Ruthless Records. Under their leadership, Ruthless Records had six albums sell over a million copies in just three years. These included Supersonic by J. J. Fad, Eazy-Duz-It by Eazy-E, and Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. Other successful albums were No One Can Do It Better by The D.O.C., Michel'le's first album, and Niggaz4Life by N.W.A.
N.W.A's Later Years
N.W.A broke up in 1991. Ice Cube and Dr. Dre left the group. There were disagreements and criticisms aimed at Heller and Eazy-E. Ice Cube released songs that criticized the group after they had started a feud with him. Both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre believed Heller's management style caused the group to break up.
Heller married Gayle Steiner in 1996. They had been together since 1990. They later divorced in 2014.
Heller's Memoir
Heller wrote a book about his life called Ruthless: A Memoir. He wrote it with Gil Reavill. The book was published in 2006. In his book, Heller shared his side of many events he had not talked about before.
He denied claims of financial problems. He wrote that Ice Cube did not fully understand financial matters. Heller also wrote that he did not believe Ice Cube was truly against any group of people. He thought Ice Cube was just focused on his own career.
Heller also claimed that a letter said to be from Eazy-E before he died was not real. He wrote that Eazy-E would not have written such a letter. Heller also mentioned that Eazy-E had eight children, not seven as the letter stated.
He called a past incident involving Dr. Dre and a journalist "disgraceful." Heller said he had to deal with the aftermath. He also said that Dr. Dre was usually a calm person, but had too much to drink that night.
Portrayals in Films
Jerry Heller was shown in two films about the music industry.
Straight Outta Compton
In 2015, the N.W.A movie Straight Outta Compton was released. Actor Paul Giamatti played Jerry Heller in this film.
In October 2015, Heller filed a lawsuit against some members of N.W.A and the film's producers. He claimed the movie had false information that hurt his reputation. The producers, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, fought back against the lawsuit. In June 2016, a judge dismissed most of Heller's claims. One claim was allowed to continue. Even after Heller's death, his lawyer said the lawsuit would go on. However, in September 2018, a California judge dismissed the lawsuit completely.
Surviving Compton
Heller was also played by Jamie Kennedy in the 2016 film Surviving Compton. In this movie, Heller was shown in a more positive light. He was seen defending Michel'le during conflicts. One writer said Heller "somehow comes off better than anyone else" in this film.
Death
Jerry Heller passed away on September 2, 2016. He was 75 years old. He suffered a heart attack while driving, which caused a car crash. He later died at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, California. He was buried at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery.
See also
