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Joe Smith, a record industry stalwart who worked with an array of artists like the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Garth Brooks, the Eagles, the Cars and more, has died, Billboard reports. Smith’s son confirmed his death, although a cause was not given. He was 91.

Smith oversaw three labels during his career, first working his way up from the promotions department to president of Warner Bros. in 1972. Three years later, he was at Elektra/Asylum then, after a brief stint as president of the Recording Academy, he took over as...

Joe Smith, a record executive who epitomized L.A. cool while heading up three major labels during some of the most fruitful moments in music business history, has died. He was 91. Smith was the head of Warner Bros. Records in the 1960s and into the 1970s, then moved to Elektra in the later 1970s and 1980s, before joining Capitol Records in the late 1980s and 1990s. He was part of the record business in the pre-multinational corporate era, a moment in time when decisions could be made based on instinct, great ears, and sound judgment.

As much as his talent for finding exciting new music was impressive, Smith was also known as a man about town. He was courtside at the Lakers games, gracing the town’s hottest restaurants, and always at the right places when a major act was showcasing. Throughout it all, he was a beloved figure in a...