Paul King, Veteran Manager and Promoter, Dies at 63

Paul King, a veteran music manager whose clients included Dire Straits and the Police, has died. He was 63 years old. According to Billboard, the London-based King was fighting cancer for the past four years.

King's family issued a statement regarding his death: "Paul King died at 3:15PM on Monday, 12th October, with the sun on his face, smooth jazz in his ears and his family around his bed."

The promoter and artist manager was responsible for some of the biggest events in British music history during the '80s. In addition to working with Dire Straits (whose 14-show, record-setting Wembley Arena run remains a milestone) and the Police, he worked on U.S. and U.K. tours by Sade, the Sex Pistols and Tears for Fears. He was also a co-promoter of 1990's Live at Knebworth charity concert, which featured performances by Eric Clapton, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd.

Billboard also reports that King's record sales for the artists he worked with during his 40 years in the industry total more than 32 million, and that he ran into some trouble over the years, including a fraud conviction in 2004 for marketing a cure for drunkenness. He spent three and a half years in prison and was banned from being a company director, which led to bankruptcy.

Recently, King returned to music promotion and was involved in concerts by Tom Jones, Simply Red and Rod Stewart.

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