Founder of LaFace Record, he helped many of the music industry’s brightest stars as a producer and executive producer.
He performed with the R&B group The Deele in the 1980s.
His music-industry knowledge and connections helped Rihanna and Justin Bieber become international sensations.
He married longtime partner Erica Reid.
He was a judge on the U.S. version of The X Factor in 2011 with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Nicole Scherzinger.
