Pierre Cossette, the man who founded the modern Grammy Awards and produced the globally televised music awards ceremony for 35 years, has died of congestive heart failure at a Montreal hospital. He was 85. The Canadian producer's death was announced late Friday in Santa Monica, Calif., by the Recording Academy.
Cossette was the Tony award-winning producer of The Will Rogers Follies and producer of Tony-nominated The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Civil War. He was producer on the recent Mindgame, Come! by Earl Wilson, Jr.; and a consulting producer on two other musicals, Angels and Judah Ben-Hur.
Cossette, a native of Valleyfield, Quebec, was an accomplished television and theater producer best known for guiding the Grammy Awards from its early days as a stuffy, unsuccessful production to the industry institution it has become.
Cossette produced the Grammy Awards until 2005, when his son took over the job for Cossette Productions. Before working on the Grammys, Cossette served as personal manager for Ann-Margret, Vic Damone, Dick Shawn, and Rowan & Martin. He is credited with creating the Las Vegas lounge act format. Cossette was the founder of Dunhill Records, where the roster included the Mamas and the Papas, Steppenwolf, Johnny Rivers and Three Dog Night.
He later sold the label and became a TV producer. He got his start with Johnny Mann's "Stand Up and Cheer," and expanded his roster to include "The Glen Campbell Show," Sammy Davis's "Sammy and Company," 'Salute," 'ShaNaNa," and "The Andy Williams Show."
Funeral arrangements have not been announced. He is survived by two sons, John and Andrew Cossette.
