Production Manager Buddy Sokolick Dies

Sokolick began his career as a stagehand at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago before quickly rising through the ranks to become head of the production department at Jam.

“Acts would look forward to the stops on their tour where Buddy was the local producer,” production execs Charlie Hernandez and Ron Stern said in a statement. “They knew the first thing they would see in the morning was Buddy’s smiling face and they knew that whatever happened during the day, Buddy would take care of it.”

Acts like Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Amy Grant are cited as big fans of the “avid race car owner.”

“I always told him he had one flaw,” Stern said. “He was too nice a guy. … Let’s all remember the nicest guy in the industry.”