Legendary music exec Andre Harrell has passed away at age 59.
DJ D Nice confirmed the news on Instagram Live during his quarantine mix, announcing that he’d be cutting it short because the news was too much to bear.
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Harrell, who founded Uptown Records and part of the Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde rap duo in the 80s, was responsible for launching the careers of Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Heavy D, Jodeci, Anthony Hamilton, Teddy Riley and more. In 1995, he became the president and CEO of Motown Records, overseeing Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Queen Latifah, all the while launching the careers of 98 Degrees and Mario Winans. As a mentor to Diddy, he later went on to work side-by-side with the rap mogul as president of Bad Boy Records and later, vice chairman of Revolt TV & Media. According to reports, Harrell had been working on a TV special about Uptown with BET.
Andre Harrell was responsible for discovering a generation of artists and his legacy will live on forever. See photos below!
