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Music publicist Heathcliff Berru has issued a statement following allegations of sexual assault from a number of prominent female musicians. The accusations against Berru began with a tweet from Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman, who said that Berru, former CEO of Life or Death PR and Management, rubbed her butt and bit her hair at a bar. She said that other women had similar stories about him, but were afraid to speak up. Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast and Yasmine Kittles of Tearist also spoke out against Berru via Twitter, and Beth Martinez of the PR firm Danger Village tweeted that he once groped her and that she was "fairy certain I've been roofied by him or members of his crew on more than one occasion." Berru has since stepped down from his position at Life or Death, whose roster includes Los Angeles' Cherry Glazerr, Killer Mike, D'Angelo, Odd Future and Cloud Nothings.
Berru issued a statement to LA Weekly in which he apologizes for his behavior, but seems to mostly blame it on drugs and alcohol abuse. He said he will be checking himself into a rehab program to deal with those issues. He also denied ever drugging anyone but, apparently, himself.
"There have been several reports about my alleged inappropriate behavior which deserve a response. I am deeply sorry for those who I have offended by my actions and how I have made certain women feel. If I crossed the line of decency or respectfulness in situations when I was drunk and under the influence, there is no excuse of course. To be clear, while my conduct may have been inappropriate, I have never drugged anyone or engaged in that type of behavior. Nevertheless, I do not want to be the type of person who would let drugs or alcohol take command of his life and compromise how he treats people. Yet I have been this person and it's time to put a stop to all of this. Create a world with one less inappropriate man. I have been fighting a losing battle against drugs and alcohol for many years and will be checking into a rehabilitation facility in the hope that I can improve my chances of winning that fight. A year ago, I was confronted by a peer and began to try to clean up and make things right with therapy and with an eye towards quitting the addiction. The shame and sadness feels as strong now as it did then and I am making an immediate change.
I have already lost my wife, abandoned my family, and destroyed those I love as a result of my shameful, embarrassing, unacceptable behavior. I deeply apologize to them as well. By no means do they deserve to feel the pain of my actions. Please give them the space they deserve. They were the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I was married during some of these years and hid my problems from everyone well. Especially her and her family. Totally inexcusable.
In no way do these allegations reflect on Life or Death PR, its staff, or anyone associated with the company. These are my issues, not theirs. I could not be more proud of the company and what it stands for. That being said I have stepped down as the CEO and [am] relinquishing all responsibility to the current president, Nick Dierl. The company shouldn't have to deal with this distraction and I want Nick and the rest of the team to continue to do their good work while I take care of myself."
@RoxyLange @motormouthmedia @AndyHermannLA drugs and alcohol are no excuse but lemme bring them up as many times as I can- 🖕🙄🖕
— Best Coast (@BestCoast) January 20, 2016
@motormouthmedia @BestCoast @RoxyLange @AndyHermannLA I hope people see through this for what it is -downplaying the severity of his actions
— Force Field PR & Mgmt (@forcefieldpr) January 20, 2016
