Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun dies

December 15, 2006 Ertegun, who continued to hold the title of founding chairman at Atlantic Records Group, had been in declining health since injuring his head in a fall Oct. 29 at a Rolling Stones show held in President Clinton's honor at New York's Beacon Theatre. Ertegun was one of the driving forces behind Atlantic, which grew from a humble independent label recording jazz and R&B acts to one of the country's top rock labels. The company helped develop the careers of acts as diverse as Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

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