Notable Passing: Alan W. Livingston

Alan W. Livingston, the former president of Capitol Records, has passed away at the age of 91.

Livingston signed the Beatles while at Capitol Records. He was also the creator of Bozo the Clown (Bozo is sure a childhood memory of mine...).

The L.A. Times obituary (click title of post) has a great anecdote about the unimpressed reaction of Livingston's wife, actress Nancy Olson, when she heard her first Beatles tune.

Olson, incidentally, has had a very interesting window on 20th century popular culture. As an actress, she appeared in the classic SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) and in several Disney films, including POLLYANNA (1960) and THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR (1961). During the '50s, Olson was married to Alan Jay Lerner; MY FAIR LADY was dedicated to her. She has been married to Livingston since 1962.

Livingston's brother, Jay, was the Oscar-winning composer of "Que Sera, Sera," "Silver Bells," "Mona Lisa," and other American standards.