Post by Admin on Dec 1, 2021 16:08:15 GMT -4
Jacqueline Avant, wife of music executive Clarence Avant, fatally shot in Beverly Hills home
BY RICHARD WINTON, HAYLEY SMITH, KEVIN RECTOR, NATHAN SOLIS
DEC. 1, 2021 UPDATED 11:59 AM PT
Jacqueline Avant, a Los Angeles philanthropist and wife of legendary music producer Clarence Avant, was shot and killed in her Beverly Hills home early Wednesday, a source familiar with the case told The Times.
Police responded to a call of a shooting in the 1100 block of Maytor Place shortly before 2:30 a.m., according to Lt. Giovanni Trejo of the Beverly Hills Police Department.
Trejo could not immediately confirm the name of the victim but said she was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound, where she later died.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to The Times that it was Jacqueline Avant, 81.
Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook told The Times that it was too soon to classify the incident as a home invasion or follow-home robbery but that the investigation is ongoing.
According to law enforcement sources, the robbers shot not only at Avant but at a security guard who was on the property, and least one of the robbers made it into the home before the shooting.
Aerial footage of the scene Wednesday morning showed a sliding door that appeared to have been shattered.
Avant has been a prominent Los Angeles philanthropist over the decades, notably in support of the UCLA International Student Center.
She served at one time as the president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group for the South Central Community Child Care Center, and as entertainment chairman of the NOW benefit auction.
Her husband, Clarence Avant, is a legendary figure in the music industry, working with or advising such stars as Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Babyface, Bill Withers, Sixto Rodriguez, the SOS Band and Cherelle.
Known as the “Black Godfather,” he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
A Times story in 2019 described Clarence Avant as a “poor kid from Depression-era North Carolina who rose to become a behind-the-scenes titan of managing, deal making and problem-solving across the spectrum of Black entertainment — from a previous era’s jazz and soul royalty to today’s R&B/rap empires, with sports and politics thrown in for good measure.”
The couple was married in 1967 and had two children, Nicole and Alex.
By mid-morning, tributes had begun pouring in.
“Cookie and I are absolutely devastated at the loss of one of our closest friends Jackie Avant,” Los Angeles Laker legend Magic Johnson said on Twitter. “This is the saddest day in our lives.”
Reginald Hudlin, who directed a 2019 documentary about Clarence Avant, described Jacqueline as “a universally loved and admired role model in our community and in our lives” and said he was devastated by the news.
“Jackie was the epitome of grace, elegance, kindness, and good taste,” Hudlin said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to her devoted husband Clarence, their children Nicole and Alex, and their entire family. Like so many people in Hollywood, I owe so much to the mentorship and generosity of Clarence and Jackie. This is a senseless tragedy that has our entire industry reeling, confused and heartbroken.”
Alarming rise in follow-home robberies in upscale L.A. prompts police crackdown
The shooting comes amid growing concerns over a string of follow-home robberies in affluent neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area.
In November, a crew of masked robbers tracked actor and former BET host Terrence Jenkins to his Sherman Oaks home and attempted to block his car in with an SUV, but he was able to flee in his car as shots were fired.
In October, masked robbers made off with as much as $1 million in valuables from the Encino mansion of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Dorit Kemsley.
Last week, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced he was setting up a task force to deal with the follow-home robberies, saying the department had not seen violent hold-ups “like this in decades.”
The department is already investigating at least 133 such robberies from areas including the Sunset Strip, Melrose Avenue, the Jewelry District and Westside shopping areas.
The trend, which has targeted celebrities and upscale restaurants in recent months, turned deadly in the predawn hours last Tuesday when a man was gunned down during an attempted robbery outside Bossa Nova restaurant in Hollywood.
On Wednesday, Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) described Avant as “a force of compassion and empowerment locally and nationally” and called for those responsible for her murder to be held accountable.
“The devastating events of last night along with recent reports of brazen crime in Los Angeles rupture the expectation of safety we have for our friends, families and fellow Angelenos,” Bass said in a statement. “Whether you are in South Los Angeles or Beverly Hills, all of us have a right to be safe and last night was an absolute violation of that right.”
Los Angeles Sentinel owner Danny Bakewell Sr. said in a published statement Wednesday that Clarence Avant was “currently grieving but resting with his family.”
“There are no [two] more kind and generous people than Clarence and Jackie and for their home and their lives to be violated in such a violent manner is unconscionable,” he said. “My thoughts and prayers go out to them and their children as we all work to get through this most difficult time.”
The Avants have been major figures in both music and politics.
Their daughter, Nicole Avant, is married to Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive and chief content officer for Netflix. In 2007, she described her parents’ deep ties to Democratic leaders, including Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Nicole remembered “President Jimmy Carter and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley working the crowds in the family’s living room. [Future California Gov.] Gray Davis, just starting his own political career, had a small office in the ’70s at her father’s record company. Gov. Jerry Brown was a frequent visitor at the family’s Beverly Hills estate.”
On Wednesday, yellow police tape blocked off the area around Maytor Place, where mansions in the tony Trousdale Estates are nestled in dense vegetation and set back far from the street behind long driveways.
Vida Ardevilchi, who lives in the neighborhood, said she would often see Jacqueline and Clarence Avant while they went out for walks.
“Lovely lady. Amazing people,” Ardevilchi said. “I can’t believe this is happening. God bless her soul.”
She said there have been a lot of break-ins recently, but never a killing like this.
May she rest in peace
