Hollywood Manager Brillstein Dead

Legendary Hollywood manager and producer Bernie Brillstein died last night at age 77. In a career that spanned 5 decades, Brillstein guided the rise of stars including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Martin Short, the New York Times reports. He contributed to TV series like Saturday Night Live and The Muppet Show, and co-created one of the most powerful production companies in the industry.

Brillstein recounted his colorful saga—he got his start in the WIlliam Morris mailroom—in his no-holds-barred memoir, Where Did I Go Right?: You’re No One in Hollywood Unless Someone Wants You Dead. In it he said he wanted his tombstone to read: "Bernie Brillstein: From Hee-Haw to Dangerous Liaisons." (More Hollywood stories.)