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Life Or Death staff quit to form new company
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 21 January 2016
All staff at US music PR company Life Or Death have now left the firm to start a new venture, it was announced yesterday. This follows the resignation of CEO Heathcliff Berru after accusations of sexual harassment came to light earlier this week.
As previously reported, on Tuesday Dirty Projectors’ vocalist Amber Coffman tweeted about an incident from a couple of years back involving “a very popular music publicist”, later naming Berru. This prompted various other women to come forward with allegations of harassment and assault against the PR chief. Later that same day, Berru resigned from the company, blaming drug and alcohol addiction for his actions, and announcing that he was checking into rehab.
In the wake of the various accusations, a number of acts on the Life Or Death roster, including Wavves, Diiv, Kelela and Speedy Ortiz, announced that they would not be working with the company anymore. Meanwhile rapper Killer Mike said that he would stick with his day-to-day publicist at the agency, Duncan Will, but offered support to the women who had come forward and said he hoped that Berru could become “a better human being”.
Although it was originally indicated Life Or Death would continue as a going concern, but without Berru’s active involvement, in his tweets Killer Mike mentioned that Life Or Death was “no more” and that the company “had a plan ready for clients”. This plan was later confirmed by the company’s president Nick Dierl.
“In light of recent events, the remainder of the Life Or Death staff is leaving the company today”, wrote Dierl. “We are saddened by the circumstances under which we are departing but are grateful for the opportunity we had together. There will be a new venture imminently that bears no ties to Heathcliff Berru or the Life Or Death name”.
It’s not clear how much of the Life Or Death roster, including those who already departed the company, will transfer to the new business.
