Jump to content Log in See all Culture Seymour Stein, music mogul who signed Madonna, The Cure and the Pretenders, dies aged 80 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame founder had battled cancer Gift this article free Add us as preferred source Telegraph Reporters Published 03 April 2023 4:07am BST Seymour Stein is being remembered after his death for his contributions to music including his role in launching the careers of stars like Madonna, The Cure, Talking Heads, and the Pretenders.  Stein, who helped found the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and was himself inducted into the Rock Hall in 2005, died of cancer in Los Angeles, according to a statement by his family. He was 80 years old.  Born in 1942, Stein was a New York City native who as a teenager worked summers at Cincinnati-based King Records, James Brown’s label, and by his mid-20s had co-founded Sire Productions, soon to become Sire Records. Obsessed with the Billboard music charts since childhood, he w as known for his deep knowledge and appreciation of music and would prove an astute judge of talent during the 1970s era of New Wave, a term he helped popularize, signing record deals with Talking Heads, the Ramones and the Pretenders. “Seymour’s taste in music is always a couple of years ahead of everyone else’s,” Talking Heads manager Gary Kurfirst told the Rock Hall around the time of Stein’s induction. His most lucrative discovery happened in the early 1980s, when he heard the demo tape of a little known singer-dancer from the downtown New York club scene, Madonna. “I liked Madonna’s voice, I liked the feel, and I liked the name Madonna. I liked it all and played it again,” he wrote in his memoir “Siren Song,” published in 2018, the same year he retired. Stein was hospitalized with a heart infection when he first learned of Madonna, but was so eager to meet that he had her brought to his room. “She was all dolled up in cheap punky gear, the kind of club kid who looked absurdly out of place in a cardiac ward,” he wrote. “She wasn’t even interested in hearing me explain how much I liked her demo. ‘The thing to do now,’ she said, ’is sign me to a record deal.’” Seymour Stein accepts his award during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2005 Credit: AP Seymour Stein holds up an award after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Credit: AP Sire artists also included Ice T, the Smiths, Depeche Mode, the Replacements and Echo and the Bunnymen, along with the more-established Lou Reed and Brian Wilson, who recorded with Sire later in their careers. Stein was married briefly to record promoter and real estate executive Linda Adler, with whom he had two children: filmmaker Mandy Stein and Samantha Lee Jacobs, who died of brain cancer in 2013. Stein and his wife divorced in the 1970s and years later he came out as gay. “I am beyond grateful for every minute our family spent with him, and that the music he brought to the world impacted so many people’s lives in a positive way,” Mandy Stein said in a statement Sunday. Join the conversation Show comments The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. Related Topics Behind the music, Madonna, Rock music License this content More stories More from Music Without one man, rock’s greatest concerts would have been lost to history Haircut 100’s Nick Heyward: ‘When I saw my bunny teeth on Top of the Pops, I felt sick’ Oxford’s new £185m arts centre is an intellectual powerhouse with heart Where have all the good protest songs gone? Rick Astley doesn’t try to be cool. But he throws the best pop party in town Alexander Armstrong: My worst fear is that we lose our sense of humour More From The Telegraph Back to top Follow us on: Download the Telegraph App Recommended Podcasts Licensing and Syndication Help Centre Betting Branded Content Privacy Reader Prints Theatre Tickets Careers About us Announcements Puzzles Guidelines Terms & Conditions Newsletters Crosswords Tax Strategy Advertising terms Subscribe Commissioning Terms Modern Slavery Subscription Terms & Conditions Gift Subscriptions Plusword The Chelsea Magazine Company © Telegraph Media Group Holdings Limited 2026