Backstage Pass

Born in Istanbul in 1923, Ertegun moved to Washington, D.C., in 1935 when his father, Mehmet Munir Ertegun, became Turkey's ambassador to the United States. Ertegun was set to follow in his footsteps after graduating from St. John's College and beginning graduate work at Georgetown University, but his love of music interrupted.

In 1947, Ertegun launched Atlantic Records with $10,000 he borrowed from his dentist. By early 1948, Atlantic was releasing singles and by 1949 it had its first hit with Stick McGhee's "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee."

"When I first started the label, I thought we'd make records for two or three years and that would be it," Ertegun recalled for his company biography.

"We did it for one main reason - we wanted to make the kind of records that we would want to buy. First and foremost, we were having great fun, and we never imagined that we would be able to make a real living out of doing what we loved so much."

Doing what he loved was a recurring theme in Ertegun's life. He and his late brother, Nesuhi, who handled many of Atlantic's jazz artists, also pursued their love of soccer, which led to the purchase of New York's National American Soccer League franchise in 1971.

In recent years, Ertegun's passion was to celebrate rock and roll's contributions to the world, founding the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

Ertegun's soft-spoken, heartfelt speeches about his love of music and the importance of creativity became staples of the annual rock hall induction ceremonies at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. "Rock and roll is the music of the world," Ertegun explained at the 1999 ceremonies, when Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel were inducted. "This is how we celebrate it."

Atlantic Records president Julie Greenwald said Ertegun saw his duties as part of his life. "He changed the music and he changed the music business, and he is the inspiration to an entire new generation of music people who will strive to follow in his amazing footsteps," she said.

Ertegun is survived by his wife, Mica, a sister and several nieces and nephews. He will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey and a memorial will be held in New York.