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Don Kirshner, the Man With the Golden Ear, dies at age 76

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LA Music Industry Examiner

Don Kirshner, the music industry legend who was known as the "Man With the Golden Ear," died Tuesday at age 76.

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Kirshner became an industry heavyweight when he proved that he could match singers and songwriters together to produce major hits. He produced music industry superstars including Connie Francis, Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond and The Monkees.

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Don Kirshner took his knack for tapping into pop culture to the small screen in 1972, when his weekly concert special "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" got picked up by ABC in 1972 to follow The Dick Cavett Show. "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" ran until 1981.

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Kirshner died from heart failure in Boca Raton, Florida on Monday. He is survived by his wife and two adult children.

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The Police perform on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1980.

Video: The Police on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert

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Gregory Roberts is a lifelong musician, professional music educator and sometimes cultural relativist. He is interested in examining the music industry from both current and historical perspectives and once spent an evening lost in the catacombs of the Anaheim Pond with Mark Mothersbaugh and...

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