Lee Solters, Veteran PR Exec Who Repped Streisand, Sinatra and Many Bdwy Shows, Passes Away at 89

Variety reports the sad news that legendary PR executive Lee Solters died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 89.

Solters, who most recently was partnered with Jerry Digney at the Solters & Digney agency, handled many superstars including Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson.

Born in Brooklyn in 1919, Solters covered high school basketball for the New York Times before establishing his own publicity firm.

Solters repped Carol Channing and producer David Merrick for more than 40 years each. From the 1940s to the 1970s, he repped numerous Broadway shows such as "Annie", "Hello Dolly", "Guys and Dolls," "Funny Girl" as well as nearly 300 others.

Solters was a press agent in the golden years when "planting" items on stars in columns by Army Archerd, Hedda Hopper and Walter Winchell was the way of doing business explains the trade paper. His father was also a New York publicist, and the younger Solters started his own firm in 1948, representing everything from restaurants such as the Carnegie Deli to plays, movies and talent reports Variety.

Solters is survived by his son and daughter, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.