Linda Stein
Stein on the closing night of the club CBGB in October 2006
BornApril 24, 1945
Bronx, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 30, 2007(2007-10-30) (aged 62)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Cause of deathBludgeoned to death
Known forCo-manager of Ramones; "real estate agent to the stars"
SpouseSeymour Stein (ex-husband)
Children2, including Mandy Stein

Linda Stein (April 24, 1945 – October 30, 2007) was an American rock music manager and real estate broker.[1]

Life and career

Stein began her career as a teacher, but left teaching to manage the Ramones with Danny Fields. She also managed singer/songwriter Steve Forbert. She was a fixture in clubs from Studio 54 to the Mudd Club and later a reliable voice in gossip columns, aided by her quick wit and fanciful way with a four-letter word.

Stein was married to and advised Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records and vice president of Warner Bros. Records, who was instrumental in launching the careers of Madonna, The Ramones, Talking Heads, and The Pretenders. Their marriage ended in divorce.[2]

In the 1990s, Stein left band management and became a "real estate agent to the stars." She landed mega-million-dollar apartments for Madonna, Sting, Angelina Jolie, Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley, Bruce Willis, Jann Wenner, Michael Douglas, Steven Spielberg, and Elton John.[3]

According to her friend, author Steven Gaines, Stein reportedly inspired two movie characters: the real estate agent (played by Sylvia Miles) who sells a high-rise apartment to Charlie Sheen's character in Oliver Stone's Wall Street and a predatory record executive in the 1998 movie 54.[4]

Death

On October 30, 2007, Stein was found dead in her apartment in Manhattan.[1] The coroner ruled Stein's death a homicide and attributed the cause to "blunt impact trauma to the head and neck."[5] At the time of her death, Stein had been battling a brain tumor.

Conviction of assailant

On November 9, 2007, Stein's former personal assistant Natavia Lowery was arrested. According to reports, the assistant killed her boss because Stein "just kept yelling at her."[6] She also claimed that Stein had blown marijuana smoke into her face and made a racial slur, but an autopsy determined that there was no marijuana in Stein's system.[7] While in police custody for questioning, police say Lowery waived her Miranda rights. She recounted her version of the events in a videotaped confession.[8] At a December 13, 2007 court hearing, however, the Lowery family disrupted the proceedings to loudly accuse Stein's daughter Mandy of killing her mother; afterward, Lowery's mother approached Mandy Stein, saying, "You know you did it."[9] On May 3, 2010, Lowery was sentenced to the maximum 25 years to life for murdering Stein, including three years for the theft of $30,000 from her.[10]

Estate

The New York County Surrogate's Court determined that Stein died intestate. Accordingly, under New York State law her next of kin, her two daughters, inherited her estate. On December 18, 2007, they filed a petition with the court asking for control of Stein's estate. It was accepted the same day.

Legacy

Singer Elton John said that he would perform in a cancer research fundraiser in Stein's honor.[8]

On April 24, 2009, which would have been Linda Stein's 64th birthday, Mandy Stein's film Burning Down the House: The Rise and Fall of CBGB – dedicated to her mother – premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Lambert, Bruce (November 1, 2007). "Real Estate Agent Found Slain in 5th Ave. Home". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2007. A woman who helped pioneer the punk music scene, influenced the careers of Madonna and The Ramones, and went on to become known as a real estate agent to the stars was found bludgeoned to death Tuesday night in her apartment at 965 Fifth Avenue, the police said yesterday.
  2. ↑ Sisario, Ben (April 3, 2023). "Seymour Stein, Record Industry Giant Who Signed Big Names, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Kolker, Robert (November 16, 2007). "The Death of New York Broker Linda Stein". New York Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Broker to the stars killed in Manhattan apartment". Newsday.com. November 4, 2007. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Former 'Ramones' manager Linda Stein murdered". Side-line.com. November 2, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  6. ↑ Orzeck, Kurt (November 10, 2007). "Assistant Arrested In Murder Of Linda Stein, Ex-Ramones Manager". Mtv.com. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  7. ↑ Eligon, John (January 25, 2010). "Trial in Real Estate Broker's Killing May Turn on Aide's Recanted Confession". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "New York Daily News report on Linda Stein". New York Daily News. November 10, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Tension, Accusations at Linda Stein Bail Hearing". ABC News. December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Ramones manager Linda Stein's PA jailed for murder". BBC News. May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  11. ↑ Walters, Ben (May 7, 2009). "Tribeca film fest spotlights New York stories". The Guardian. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
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