Mike Connelly, the Exec VP of Business Affairs for New York-based Cherry Lane Music Publishing, died on Monday after a ten year long battle with cancer, he was 56.
Connelly worked at Cherry Lane for 24 years and was involved in the development of the company and its expansion into territories around the world. A statement on the publisher's website reads, simply: "Friend, Mentor and Leader, the heart and soul of Cherry Lane for more than twenty-four years, you are dearly missed but your indelible spirit will be with us forever".
Commenting on Connelly's battle with cancer, Cherry Red's CEO Peter Primont told Billboard: "Over the course of the last ten years, Mike battled cancer valiantly. He never once complained and always maintained a positive outlook on life".
Cherry Red have also confirmed that a scholarship fund will be established in Connelly's memory.