Robert Sillerman, the former head of SFX Entertainment, died of respiratory failure on Sunday, November 24, according to reports confirmed by Billboard. The controversial entertainment mogul was the center of extended legal woes throughout the decade, after SFX bought up numerous EDM events and platforms including Tomorrowland, Mysteryland, Beatport, and more before tumultuous restructuring efforts and ultimately filing for bankruptcy.
In 2000, Sillerman sold the first iteration of SFX to Clear Channel for $4.4 billion, which would eventually be rebranded as concert giant Live Nation. In 2012, Sillerman relaunched SFX as a dance music promotion venture, successfully grabbing a major chunk of the market behind an aggressive acquisition strategy that ultimately resulted in SFX’s demise. The company would return once again in 2016 thanks to AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, this time as LiveStyle, the group behind Destructo‘s AMF properties, Electric Zoo, and many more. Earlier this year, Sillerman was ordered to pay $179,000 in a securities fraud case.
Featured image: Robin Marchant
Source: dancingastronaut.com
