Andre Harrell Remembered by Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Kamala Harris and More

Variety Staff
Updated ·13 min read
Andre Harrell Remembered by Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Kamala Harris and More

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News of the death of veteran music executive Andre Harrell hit the industry hard with many artists, former colleagues, fans and friends expressing their grief on social media Friday night, May 8, into Saturday.

Harrell founded Uptown Records and hired Sean “P. Diddy” Combs as an intern, later promoting him to vice president of A&R. Uptown was home to Mary J. Blige, Father MC, Heavy D and many others. In 1995, Harrell went on to run Motown Records as CEO. Harrell’s final social-media post was a short, vintage clip of Heavy D.

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Universal Music, which partnered with Harrell on many projects, issued a statement on Saturday: “We mourn the loss of Andre Harrell, the founder of Uptown Records, one of R&B and hip-hop’s most significant labels, where he molded a distinct sound and launched the careers of many seminal artists who continue to influence music today. Andre’s countless contributions to Universal Music Group include serving as President and General Manager of Def Jam Recordings, CEO of Motown Records and as a successful film and television producer at MCA. UMG and the entire music industry have lost a truly visionary member of our community and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Motown Records founder Berry Gordy commented: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my friend, Andre Harrell. I appreciated his expertise, forward thinking and the many contributions he brought to Motown after it was sold to MCA. He will be missed.”

Among the artists paying tribute to Harrell after his death were Mariah Carey, Maxwell, 50 Cent, John Legend, Juicy J, Mark Ronson, Dawn Richard and Teddy Riley, who shared a touching memory of auditioning for him for “Making the Band.”

Harrell’s death came on the same day as music legend Little Richard’s death. African American Film Critics Association president Gil Robertson paid tribute to both of the influential musicians.

“The passing of both Little Richard and Andre Harrell on the same day is a huge blow to American culture. Both innovators and pioneers, Little Richard and Andre Harrell elevated and pushed pop culture forward. Both men helped redefine American culture by putting their own stamp on it. And, though they are gone today, their imprints live forever. The members of AAFCA are profoundly grateful for their gifts and contributions and will keep their family in our thoughts and prayers.”

Senator Kamala Harris paid tribute as well.

Among the film and television stars who took to social media, noted director Ava Duvernay tweeted that Harrell was “the architect of so much music, so much culture,” while Viola Davis thanked him for “the gift of so many incredible artists.”

Music executives like Hitco’s L.A. Reid, Atlantic Records’ Brooklyn Johnny, Loud Records founder Steve Rifkind and 300 Entertainment’s Kevin Liles paid respect to the man with whom they collaborated.

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In our last conversation on Wednesday about the Uptown mini series, we argued about timing on script notes. I kept telling you to wait on giving your notes to the writer for Night 3 but you were yellin “I gotta give them now!” I said “You gotta wait until we get the new drafts of Nights 1 and 2 so you can see how it all works together!” You said “We can deal with that later! I’m good with all that! There are some things I need to tell her about my life now! She gotta understand the energy behind this sh*t! We gotta get the ending right! As soon as I tell her, then, we good.” I said “F*#k it. I been here with you before. Do what you want.” You heard my tone and said “Hold on DC (one of his nicknames for me) What’s your concern?” I told you my concerns and you said “Oh, I got you! I won’t f*#k the money up! We on the same page with the script! Now let me get the f*#k off the phone so I can do what I do!” I laughed and said “whats that?” And u said “I inspire greatness in artists!!” We had one other call and then a crazy text exchange that ended with you saying that I passed “the trust test” and that you were good. I didn’t even know I was taking a test. I laughed. Now it’s all clear. You were truly one of a kind. You inspired black excellence before it was a hashtag. You wanted all of US to experience what you called “the champagne life.” You were screaming about the power of the culture waaaaaay before anybody else! I love you Dre! We are going to tell your story the right way. You inspired everyone that is working on this film and left a piece of you with all of us. I also know that somehow…someway…you will still get me the rest of your notes on the script, the cast, the director, wardrobe…everything! When we drop Uptown, I know you will be looking down on all of us saying “Hold up! Hold up! They about to show Uptown! We need the bottles right, the room right. And I need the best seat in the house! Because all of this is me!” The fingerprints of Uptown can be found in EVERY black owned company in entertainment today. Period! RIP to my friend and mentor, Andre Harrell @andreharrell. UPTOWN miniseries coming soon to @BET!

A post shared by Jesse Collins (@jessecollinsent) on May 9, 2020 at 9:37am PDT

Journalists and pop culture experts also weighed in on Harrell’s influence.

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