Frank DiLeo, American music industry executive and actor (Goodfellas, Wayne’s World), died from heart complications he was 63.

Frank Michael DiLeo  was
an American music industry executive and actor, known for his portrayal
of gangster Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas died from heart complications he was 63.. For five years in the late 1980s, and again in 2009, he was Michael Jackson‘s manager.^[1]

(October 23, 1947 – August 24, 2011)

Career

Frank DiLeo graduated from Central Catholic High School. DiLeo began his career in the music industry in the late 1960s, shortly after high school, as a rack jobber (distributing records to retail stores) in Pittsburgh. Following a number of brief, higher-profile jobs, he was hired as a promotion staffer in Cleveland by CBS Records subsidiary Epic Records in 1968.[1]^[2] He promoted albums by The Hollies, Donovan and Sly & the Family Stone to local radio stations, and was later promoted to the company’s regional office in Chicago.^[3] Circa 1969 he was “headhunted” by RCA Records in New York, followed by a stint at Bell Records.
After a year with Bell he “retired” from the music business and moved
back to Pittsburgh. His return to the music industry was prompted by an
“electrical fire” which destroyed his Pittsburgh home, for which his
insurance carrier reportedly refused to pay out.
Frederic Dannen
described DiLeo as an “outspoken fan” of the controversial record
industry practice of using “Indies” (independent record promoters) to
promote new singles to radio stations, a system which was widely
described as “the new payola”
and which by the early 1980s was reportedly costing the major US record
labels tens of millions of dollars per year. DiLeo was also a close
friend of Hollywood-based record promoter Joe Isgro, one of the leading figures in the shadowy indie group dubbed “The Network”, who was alleged to have close ties with the Gambino crime family.^{[citation needed]}
In 1979, CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff hired his old friend DiLeo to work for Epic Records in New York
as Vice President of National Promotion. Overseeing a staff of 65
people and a multi-million dollar budget, Frank helped guide Epic
Records from a small $65 million dollar company to a $250 million dollar
powerhouse; during this period Epic outperformed its sister label Columbia Records for two years running. Artists signed to Epic included Quiet Riot, REO Speedwagon, Ozzy Osbourne, Gloria Estefan, Luther Vandross, Meat Loaf, Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club and Michael Jackson,
among others. He was voted executive of the year for Epic Records,
received over 80 gold and platinum awards, and was credited for taking
Epic Records from the number fourteen label in the U.S. market to number
two. In 1984, after the record-setting success of his Thriller album, Michael Jackson asked DiLeo to take over as his manager. DiLeo was the executive producer for the full-length movie Moonwalker,
wrote and executive produced three Pepsi-Cola commercials (including
negotiating a landmark endorsement deal), and eight music videos
including the Grammy winning video “Leave Me Alone”. DiLeo managed
Jackson’s Bad World Tour, and the Jackson family’s Victory Tour.
DiLeo managed Jackson until February 14, 1989 when their business
relationship was abruptly terminated, without any public explanation.^{[citation needed]}
DiLeo is referenced in Sheryl Crow‘s
“The Na-Na Song,” with the lines “Clarence Thomas organ grinder Frank
DiLeo’s dong / Maybe if I’d let him I’d have had a hit song.”^[4] Crow and DiLeo were acquainted when Crow worked as a backup singer on Jackson’s Bad tour.^[5]
In 2009, The Wall Street Journal reported that DiLeo was once again managing Michael Jackson’s career.^[6]
DiLeo also managed the careers of Taylor Dayne, Jodeci, Laura Branigan, and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, and had worked with Prince on several projects. ^{[7] [8]}
DiLeo founded Dileo Entertainment Group, a company located in Nashville, Tennessee.
The company is focused on managing up and coming artists as well as
establishing a publishing company in Nashville. In 2011 DiLeo suffered a
heart attack and was treated at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles.
He appeared in six major motion pictures. His film credits include GoodFellas, Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2.

Filmography

• Moonwalker (1988) ….Jack
• Goodfellas (1990) ….Tuddy Cicero
• Wayne’s World (1992) ….Frankie “Mr. Big” Sharp – Sharp Records
• Wayne’s World 2 (1993) ….Frankie “Mr. Big” Sharp – Sharp Records
• Kiss of Death (1995) ….Big Junior’s Friend
• SuperPhan (1998) ….Uncle Sal

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