Seymour Stein Dead at 80: Was Sire Records Co-Founder's Cause of Death Health-Related?

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Seymour Stein, who co-founded Sire Records, has died at the age of 80, his daughter confirmed.

Stein had decades-old experience since he started his storied career in the industry at Billboard. He notably co-founded Sire Records and signed Madonna and other famed artists.

His career took the spotlight again after the confirmation of his death.

Seymour Stein Dead at 80

Stein's daughter, filmmaker Mandy Stein, confirmed in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the veteran star died Sunday in Los Angeles. The same heartbreaking news disclosed that his cause of death was cancer.

It remains unknown what type of cancer he was diagnosed with and when he first learned about his condition.

According to the World Health Organization, cancer can affect any part of a person's body. It refers to the rapid multiplication of abnormal cells that grow into malignant tumors. Widespread metastases are currently the primary cause of death.

The dreaded illness, per the organization, is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Following the emergence of the death news, fans and colleagues paid tribute to Stein and remembered his legacy and contributions to the industry.

One Twitter user wrote, "We will miss you @seymourstein ! One of the greats! Thank you for everything!"

"RIP Seymour Stein, who was cool to me, and left an open door," one said, with Scott Goodstein saying, "Sad to hear the news. I met Seymour Stein during the #SaveCBGB campaign. Super nice guy that cares deeply about music. May his memory be a blessing."

Remembering Seymour Stein

Billboard recalled Stein's early beginnings when he started working as an assistant to the publication's head of charts, Tommy Noonan. He worked with him by sitting in during meetings to decide which records they needed to review and compile Hot 100.

"I was just 16, working at Billboard after school. From the time I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted to be in the music business," he told Billboard in 2015. "I look at my schooling as, in part, my early years at Billboard."

His work with Billboard came to an end in 1961. He launched his first label job afterward by working for Syd Nathan and King Records before starting a stint at Red Bird Records.

In 1967, he and Richard Gottehrer co-founded Sire Records. The label merged with Warner nine years later.

Among the artists he signed through the label included Madonna, Ice-T, Depeche Mode, Steven Tallarico, The Cure, Talking Heads, The Smiths, and The Pretenders.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the lifetime-achievement category in 2005 and became Billboard's first recipient of the Icon Award in 2012.

Stein also received the Richmond Hitmaker Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony and the Recording Academy's prestigious Trustees Award in 2016 and 2018, respectively.