Jacqueline Avant, the 81-year-old wife of legendary record executive Clarence Avant, was shot and killed during a home invasion on Tuesday night.
TMZ reports that the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. local time at the Avant family’s home in Beverly Hills, California. Avant was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Clarence Avant was home at the time of the shooting, but was not harmed.
According to the Beverly Hills Police Department, the shooter(s) were no longer on the scene when police arrived. An investigation is now underway, and more details will likely be shared during a press conference scheduled for later today.
In October of this year, Clarence was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and given the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes non-performing industry professionals. Known as the Godfather of Black Music, Avant founded Sussex Records (home to Bill Withers), and later served as chairman of Motown Records. He also was an executive producer of Save the Children, the now legendary documentary about the PUSH Black Expo held in Chicago in 1972.
Jackie was a former Ebony Fashion Fair model known for her philanthropy, who later became heavily involved in philanthropic causes. She served as president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group for the South Central Community Child Care Center, as an entertainment chairman of the NOW benefit auction and NOW membership, and as a member of the board on the International Student Center at UCLA (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Clarence and Jacqueline were married for 52 years. Their daughter, Nicole Avant, is married to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.
This is a developing story…
