Former WBR Chairman/CEO Russ Thyret Dies At 76
• Russ Thyret, the well loved and legendary former Chairman & CEO of Warner Bros. Records, best known for having signed Prince and for being an early champion of Madonna, died Friday, Feb. 12 after a long illness. He was 76 years old.
As reported by Variety, Thyret spent the early part of his music industry career as a sales rep in the Los Angeles branch of WEA, Warner Music’s U.S. distribution company. He joined Warner Bros. Records in 1971, gradually working his way up through the executive ranks, running the sales, marketing and promotion departments. When Thyret was elevated to Chairman & CEO in 1995 he remarked, “This is my home, it’s the only record label I’ve ever worked at. To call this opportunity a dream come true would be a drastic understatement.” Thyret served in that role until Jan. 2002, when he left the label after the completion of the $106 billion AOL Time Warner merger.
Former longtime Warner Bros. publicity chief Bob Merlis said of Thyret, “Along with Mo Ostin, I cannot think of any executive who commanded such a level of loyalty among his staff than Russ did. He believed in his people and they, in turn, believed in him.”
Thyret is survived by his wife, Rebecca, a former assistant at Warner Bros. Records who worked in management with Stevie Nicks, and his son, Russ Thyret Jr. Details on a memorial service have not been announced.
