Artists mourn death of powerful music executive

The man who helped define American music and promoted the British music invasion of the US in the Sixties, has died.

Ironically, Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, became ill after a fall during a Rolling Stones concert in October.

The 83-year-old was at the concert in New York when he fell and suffered a head injury. He slipped into a coma in hospital and died yesterday.

His Atlantic label popularised Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin before moving on to American pop, with Sonny and Cher. It also carried the banner of British rock with The Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin.

Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey.

The ambassador's son started collecting blues and jazz records for fun, but became one of the music industry's most powerful to push for peace figures after founding Atlantic in 1947.

Today, it is the home to artists like James Blunt and Kid Rock. Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone magazine,said: "Ahmet was perhaps the most revered, respected figure in American popular music of the modern era."