Jerry Heller had different professions that contributed to his wealth. He was mainly known as a businessman, music manager, and writer. He was mainly known for working with notable names such as Eazy-E. Although Jerry Heller died in 2016, it is still worth knowing what his net worth was and where he sourced it from. All these details are covered in this post.
Early Life of Jerry Heller
Jerry Heller was an American born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 6, 1940. He was married to Gayle Steiner between 1996 and 2014. Jerry was raised in a Jewish family and served in the United States Army. He attended the University of Southern California, after which he worked at an agency business in 1963.
After working for the agency, he opened his Heller-Fischel Agency in Beverly Hills. His agency worked on representing rock groups, including “Grand Frunk Railroad,” “Black Sabbath,” “Humble Pie,” etc.
Moreover, he represented other writers, such as “Carly Simon,” “Van Morrison,” etc. Jerry rose to prominence in the 60s when he began working with notable names in the industry.
Jerry’s Career
The Heller-Fischel Agency that Jerry founded in the 1960s was doing a remarkable job. During its first year, it had grossed $1.9 million; by the second year, it was up to $3.7 million. By the fourth year, Jerry’s agency was raking in $7 million yearly. Business was good for Jerry; he was working with big artists who brought big payrolls by this time.
He said his strategy was to avoid greed and keep his artists focused by touring them between their hit songs to avoid distractions. In the 80s, Jerry had discovered court rap music, which was gaining popularity by then. He then founded Ruthless Records to take on this new music type and started representing big names like Eazy-E.
Ruthless Records was a big deal. It sold over 110 million records and expanded to accommodate other producers like Dr.Dre. When Eazy-E passed away, Ruthless Records raked in $10 million in monthly revenue.
The record released six platinum albums and was working with young Ice Cube and Dr.Dre by then. However, the two later split and went to find other management. The split left Eazy-E sticking with Jerry; for that, different diss records aimed at him and Jerry were released by Ice Cube and Dr.Dre.
Jerry wrote a memoir titled “Ruthless: A Memoir,” in this book, he denied any financial allegations aimed at him. In 2015, Jerry filed a lawsuit against a film, “Straight Outta Compton,” which destroyed his reputation. Shortly after, Jerry got a heart attack while driving in 2016, leading to his death.
What is Jerry’s Net Worth
Jerry is one of the most successful people in the music management industry. Having pioneered different sectors in the music industry and represented big names over the years, he accumulated plenty of wealth. By the time of his death, Jerry was estimated to have a net worth of $20 million.