"Claire Rothman, a trailblazing sports and entertainment industry executive indelibly tied to the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s heyday, has died. Family members confirmed her death, on Saturday, was due to complications from a fall. She was 97. As the president and general manager of the "Fabulous Forum," Rothman was pivotal in bringing big-name musicians to the Inglewood venue and had deep ties to the Lakers when it was the team's home during the "Showtime" era, when the Lakers won five championships in a decade."
""Claire paved the way for women working in live entertainment. She was tenacious, creative and indomitable. My father always described her as the MVP who championed the Fabulous Forum as the West Coast concert rival to the legendary Madison Square Garden," Buss said Sunday evening. "For me personally, she was a mentor and a guide, helping me learn and navigate an industry that had never been very open to women in leadership," Buss said. "I learned an incredible amount from her as an executive and consider her one of the major influences in my life.""
Claire Rothman died at 97 from complications of a fall. She served as president and general manager of the Fabulous Forum after being hired in 1975 by Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke. She booked major musicians, including Prince, and helped establish the Forum as a West Coast concert rival to Madison Square Garden. She maintained deep ties to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1980s Showtime era when the team won five championships. She was frequently seen wearing the team's championship rings. Jeanie Buss credited Rothman as a mentor who helped women navigate an industry that historically excluded them from leadership.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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