Danny Sugerman, co-manager of The Doors, dead at 50.

[NightTrain]

Danny Sugerman, who first saw The Doors in concert in 1967, then landed a job at their West Hollywood office answering fan mail, eventually becoming the group's manager, died last night, at the age of 50, after a long struggle with lung cancer.

Born in L.A. in 1954, Sugerman attended Westchester High School and immediately became involved with The Doors. He co-wrote the 1981 N.Y. Times best-selling Jim Morrison biography, "No One Here Gets Out Alive," with Jerry Hopkins, then followed up with the autobiographical "Wonderland Avenue", and books on Guns N Roses and The Doors. Sugerman also consulted Oliver Stone on his 1990 movie, "The Doors," which starred Val Kilmer as Morrison.

Danny had been co-managing The Doors with Jeff Jampol and The Firm. He is survived by a brother, Dr. Joseph, sister Nan, and wife, the former Fawn Hall.

Said L.A. historian/author and Sugerman friend Harvey Kubernik: "Danny was a character who literally gave his literary soul for rock & roll. Besides the books he wrote and assembled documenting the Doors' legacy and audio impact, Danny toiled and passionately worked constantly for decades on behalf of the band's archives and influential catalogue that so many people were inspired from."

A recovering addict, he was active with organizations like the Drug Policy Foundation and Musicians Assistance Program. Private services
are being planned. The family is requesting that, in lieu of lowers, a donation be made in Danny's name to:

MusiCares/MAP Fund, 817 S. Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90038.

[Ruby Romaine]

1. wtf? married to the former Fawn Hall (Ollie North's secretary)

he would have been the mgr after Morrison died?
& no original members left?

[devilgrrl]

2. No One Here Gets Out Alive' the lamest rock bio EVER!!!!

Sorry, that book sucked ass - unless seeing one side of Jim Morrison is your idea of a well balanced biography. Danny Sugerman was full of shit. Mark me indifferent.

[Ruby Romaine]

3. and married to the babe who helped Ollie North!

[devilgrrl]

4. The "Babe" Bruce Springsteen wanted NOTHING to do with!

Yup, during the Iran-Contra scam of the 80's Fawn Hall had 15 minutes of fame the she thought would entitle her a meeting with Springsteen after one of his concerts. He would have none of it!!!!

[Ruby Romaine]

5. so she was a rock groupie after her career as an iran contra groupie!

thanks, i didn't know that!

[devilgrrl]

6. It would make sense that she would be...

what else could she do besides typing less than 70 words a minute and shredding documents?

[tanyev]

7. There's a reason they call him

the Boss. He just rules.

[LandOLincoln]

8. Please listen up:

I knew Jim but never met Danny. However, for a year or so in the mid 1970s I worked with his sister Nan Dee (not Nan, as this article identifies her), and since 1996 I've been talking on a near-daily basis with Salli Stevenson, the former rock journalist who interviewed Jim for Circus magazine in 1970 and who is cousin to Adlai. (Please tell me you remember who Adlai Stevenson was...?)

Jim thought enough of Danny and Salli that he (a) introduced them, and (b) later asked Salli to "look after" Danny for him when he left for Paris, because he thought Danny had promise as a writer and wanted Salli to mentor the kid in his place.

(BTW, Salli remembers an incident when Danny stood up for her against Jim. You probably had to have known Jim to know just what kind of guts that took, especially for a 16 y/o kid as Danny was at the time.)

So, a few things I'd like to point out:

1. Danny did not "co-write" NOHGOA. It's 99% bottom feeder Jerry Hopkins' work, and Salli told me years ago that Hopkins had rolled right over Danny every time the kid raised any objections to the crap Hopkins was trying to pass off as truth. OTOH Wonderland Avenue is 100% Danny, and his obvious rebuttal to Hopkins' sleaze.

2. Danny and Fawn have been happily married since 1989, IIRC, and Salli suspects that Fawn is not long for this world herself. Danny was her life, just as Jim was Pam Morrison's life, and presumably you know how that turned out.

3. Bruuuuce: a surprisingly petty reaction from a man who should have known better. He could have agreed to meet her, and used that opportunity to draw her into a discussion of politics in general and Iran/Contra specifically.

She was what? 22-23 at the time? Working in D.C. for a handsome, charming and powerful man? (I heard the repeat of Randi Rhodes' interview with Ollie on AAR just a coupla days ago, and man he was smooth. Hate to say it, but he lied rings around Randi, and she came off much the worse for it. If he could flummox a toughie like Randi now, think what kind of effect he must have had on young Fawn then.)

Have some pity, girls. These are flesh and blood people you're dismissing so callowly, and Danny suffered the tortures of the damned for months before he died. (The cancer had spread to his brain. Think about that.)

Thank you.

--Janet Erwin, aka Mizscarlett43 on The Doors' board