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Former Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO Brad Grey died of cancer on Sunday night at home surrounded by his family. He was 59.
Grey, who stepped down from his position at Paramount in February after a 12-year tenure, had also worked as a producer and manager. Prior to Paramount, Grey was a partner at Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, where he played a key role in the development of The Sopranos and The Larry Sanders Show, according to Variety. He also co-founded Plan B Entertainment with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. His credits as a movie producer include The Departed, Running With Scissors, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Grey is survived by his wife Cassandra Grey, their son Jules, his three grown children Sam, Max and Emily from his marriage to Jill (nee Gutterson) Grey, his mother Barbara Schumsky, his brother Michael Grey and his sister Robin Grey.
“Brad Grey loved show business and devoted his entire professional career to bringing compelling stories, poignant images and memorable entertainers to audiences who loved them,” his family said in a statement to the L.A. Times on Monday.
Born in the Bronx, Grey was the youngest child of a New York garment industry salesman. According to the L.A. Times, he sold belt buckles made in his grandfather's factory when he was in high school. He began his Hollywood career while still in college at the State University of New York at Buffalo, working as a gofer for Harvey Weinstein (Weinstein was a concert promoter at the time). Grey also promoted concerts of his own at the time; according to Deadline, his first production was a Frank Sinatra concert in Buffalo at age 20. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, where he forged his career as a talent manager.
A small private funeral service will be held this week, followed by a memorial service scheduled in coming weeks. Instead of flowers, the Grey family asks that donations be made to the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC.
