John McClain, Co-Executor of Michael Jackson Estate, Dies at 71

John McClain Lester Cohen/Getty Images

John McClain, the music executive who served as co-executor of Michael Jackson‘s estate for over a decade, has died. He was 71.

McClain died Tuesday following complications from a fall, representatives for the executive said, adding that he was “surrounded by loving friends and his nephew Warner Wright.”

A Los Angeles native, McClain worked closely with the Jackson family since the 1980s, after getting his start in the business as a music director and session musician, with credits on records for the likes of Gladys Knight, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. McClain grew up around music; his father opened the It Club, which hosted jazz legends like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, while his mother was a pianist.

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After he was appointed director of Black music at A&M Records, he played a key role in developing Janet Jackson into a superstar, bringing her together with production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, leading to the creation of the albums Control and Rhythm Nation. He joined Interscope in the label’s early days, playing a major role in signing Dr. Dre through the rapper’s Death Row Records.

A longtime friend of Michael’s, he was named co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate alongside the pop icon’s attorney John Branca, following the king of pop’s death in 2009. Together, the duo has been instrumental in stewarding Jackson’s musical legacy, navigating both financial difficulties and the controversy surrounding the sexual abuse allegations against Jackson and keeping the late artist’s business booming, most recently evidenced by Michael, which is on pace to become the top-grossing music biopic of all time.

“I am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and brother John McClain,” Branca said in a statement. “One of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future.”

“When we were named in Michael’s will,” Branca continued. “I knew that he would bring great insight into Michael’s music and that his friendship and dedication to Michael would underscore all the great projects that we could bring to the world. He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends. It is difficult to imagine a world without him.”