Jerry Heller, the man who co-founded Ruthless Records, managed N.W.A and many have blamed for their break-up, has died at age 75.
According to TMZ, Heller died after suffering a medical emergency while he was driving. As a result, he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a mini-van. He was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries. It is unclear if he died from the medical emergency or from injuries suffered in the car crash.
Many were first introduced to Heller as the manager of N.W.A and mostly remember him for being the supposed reason they broke up. Ice Cube never said Heller’s name on his classic diss “No Vaseline,” but Heller was definitely one of the focal points of his rage when he rapped lines like, “you can’t be the N*gga 4 Life crew, with a White Jew telling you what to do.”
Heller would later be immortalized as working for “Sleezy E at Useless Records” in Dr. Dre’s “Dre Day” video.
Heller appeared to be portrayed in a much fairer light in the Straight Outta Compton movie, but he objected and filed a $110 million lawsuit against the film’s producers. The case was still pending at the time of his death.
Photo: Screenshot
