(CelebrityAccess) — CelebrityAccess has received multiple reports that veteran talent manager Billy Gaff, who represented artists such as Rod Stewart, Cream, the Bee Gees and The Clash, among others, has died.
Details about the nature of his passing have not been disclosed and CelebrityAccess has been unable to independently confirm his death.
Born and raised on a military base near Curragh, Ireland, Gaff attended the Dominican College in Newbridge and later the Woolwich Polytechnic College where he studied economics.
While attending college, Gaff became involved in a theater group on campus where he met manager Robert Stigwood and landed a gig as the road manager for Cream for several months before the band dissolved.
After a stint in the Merchant Marine, Gaff returned to music management, taking on the pop group The Faces, which featured Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.
In 1975, Gaff launched Riva Records, which provided a platform for Stewart’s solo material, including many of his early hits such as Atlantic Crossing.
In an interview with Eamon Dunphy, Gaff recounted how close he came to signing the Irish rock band U2 in the late 1970s, stating that he had been provided with the band’s demo but instead signed the Irish rock act The Look Alikes instead.
During the 1980s, he also managed Christopher Hamill, who performs as Limahl and who scored a major international hit in 1984 with “The NeverEnding Story” which was used in the film of the same name.
In 1986, Gaff became primary shareholder the Marquee club in London, and invested in films, including the award-winning “My Left Foot” which starred a young Daniel Day Lewis.
