Assistant Of Ex-Punk Manager, Linda Stein, Charged In Her Murder

NEW YORK (AP) — The personal assistant of Linda Stein, at the epicenter of the punk rock scene and later the "Realtor to the Stars," has been arrested in Stein's fatal bludgeoning at her Fifth Avenue apartment.

Formal charges were pending against Natavia Lowery, said police spokesman Paul Browne. She "made statements implicating herself" in the killing, he said.

Stein's daughter found her body the night of Oct. 30 face down in the living room of her $3 million apartment, where she lived alone. There were no signs of a break-in or robbery.

An autopsy found that Stein, 62, died from blows to the head and neck.

Stein was a pioneer in New York's punk music scene, becoming a fixture at the legendary CBGB club in Manhattan and co-managing the influential punk band the Ramones.

She was the ex-wife of Seymour Stein, the former president of Sire Records, the launching pad for the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna.

Stein co-managed the Ramones during the band's heyday and is credited with bringing the group to England.

She was dubbed a broker to the stars in the years after she quit rock 'n' roll for real estate, with celebrity friends and clients who included Madonna, Sting, Billy Joel, Steven Spielberg and Angelina Jolie.