Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live, out after busy year featuring Michael Jackson trial

It was a tumultuous year for AEG Live, to say the least. But at the end of the (long) day, it seemed that the world's second largest concert promoter had come out unscathed. Perhaps not, based on the recent removal of CEO Randy Phillips.

Phillips, who had held the office for more than ten years and had just signed a five year extension last year, according to an announcement from the company made on Monday. The statement didn't indicate whether Phillips had been fired or whether he had resigned, but leaving one year into a five year extension doesn't seem like a likely situation. AEG hasn't responded to requests for comment on the situation.

Phillips saw the most headlines of his career with the company during 2012-'13 thanks to his being named a defendant in the tabloid-baiting Michael Jackson wrongful death lawsuit. The Jackson family claimed that Phillips and AEG pushed the pop star too hard in preparations for its planned "This Is It" comeback tour. The suit also claimed AEG had hired Conrad Murray, the doctor charged with Jackson's manslaughter after an overdose of propafol. The lawsuit held major implications, with the Jacksons asking for upward of $40 billion in damages, but the company was eventually found innocent of all charges.

Phillips was also heavily involved in AEG's push for bringing an NFL franchise to Los Angeles, pushing a $1.5 billion plan to build a new stadium in the downtown L.A. area. That plan fell through, but didn't lose a tremendous amount of money for the company. It's more likely that Phillips' ouster was simply part of a shuffling within the ranks at AEG. Tim Leiweke, AEG's then-president and CEO, resigned in March after plans to sell the company fell through.