Music and film exec Hal Gaba died March 9 of cancer in Los Angeles. He was 63.
Gaba was chairman of Concord Music Group; co-chairman of Village Roadshow Pictures; and CEO of ACT III Communications.
Born in Oakland, he joined producers Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin and Jerry Perenchio at TV company Tandem Prods. in 1974.
In 1990, Gaba, in partnership with Lear, became president and chief executive officer of ACT III Communications, which has interests in theaters, broadcasting, publishing, film and music. Gaba and Lear then became co-owners of Concord Music Group, which releases artists including Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Concord partnered with Starbucks to form Hear Music.
In 2008, Gaba merged the Concord Music Group with Australia’s Village Roadshow Pictures to form Village Roadshow Entertainment Group.
He is survived by his wife, Carole; two daughters; his mother; a sister; and a brother.
Donations may be made to UC Regents, Matthew B. Rettig, M.D., For use by the Prostate Cancer Research Program, Dept. of Urology, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Box 951738, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
A memorial service will be held Monday at 1:30 p.m. in the Ahmanson Ballroom, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.
