In Memoriam: Scott Pang, Beloved Agent, Mentor, Friend, Husband, Father

Veteran agent Scott Pang, known as a longtime music agent with ICM Partners, unexpectedly died Jan. 22, according to a statement from his family. He was 69.
“With deep sadness we announce the passing of Scott Pang yesterday afternoon,” the statement, shared on social media Jan. 23, read. “He was a beloved father, friend, and a truly special person who touched so many lives in the entertainment industry. At this time, we are focusing on honoring his memory and will share details regarding the funeral arrangements as soon as they are finalized. We appreciate your understanding and support during this difficult time.”
Pang got his start at the William Morris Agency in the ’80s, and as a young agent worked with Aretha Franklin and Chuck Berry, later becoming head of touring for touring productions including the Ice Capades and Harlem Globetrotters, where many in the live entertainment industry learned the ropes.
He became a music agent at ICM Partners, representing talent including Aretha Franklin and Earl Klugh among others. Pang was a well-known and admired personality in the industry, known for an eccentric wit, sense of humor, kindness and fairness in an industry not always known as conducive to those traits.
He is survived by his wife, Greta and four children, Tommy, Buster, Lily and Katie. The news of his passing was met with shock and sadness from industry colleagues, a few of which Pollstar has shared below.
In memory of Scott Pang,
When Scott Pang called someone, he didn’t have to say who he was, what he did or where he was from. I’m watching the various comments on Facebook and it’s up to around 500 already. He must have known well over a thousand people, all of whom would consider him a friend, so expect that number to keep growing.
Nice guy and a fair man-not all of us agents get that description, not unanimously, anyway. Knowledgeable-amazing how he knew more than almost anyone, but never acted like a know it all, he just shared. Mentor-he played this role to hundreds of young people who went onto great success, but he never acted like an authority. I keep flashing back to the dozens of times we would be in the office with pencils, paper and calculators with Scott saying ‘well, if we did the rent THIS way…..’. He loved all of that and made it fun. I’d honestly never negotiated sno-cones and cotton candy deals until Scott came along.
Colleague-the best one could have. Always had everyone’s back, wanted to be fair, but always knew what he had to do for his clients and associates.
Storytelling-if you knew him, this part needs no explanation. After over 35 years of being friends and colleagues, even I couldn’t hear the stories about Chuck Berry taking fuses out of his own amp enough. And Aretha. Driving up a hill to a gig, deciding it was too steep, turning the bus around and bailing on the gig. Leaving Scott to make that call. He ‘made that call’ a LOT in his career.
And when he ‘made that call’ (that we all dread but do anyway), he did it with understanding, humor and empathy. People accepted Scott in that role, because he cared and they knew that, and that there would be another day, another problem, but that we would all live to see the next one. His relationships were long term and respected as such.
And as he navigated the crazy situations and and the show coverage (you could ALWAYS ALWAYS count on him when you needed him, Scott and his wife Greta (together forever) raised a beautiful family with amazing, hard working, and independent kids.
He rarely bragged, but he was super proud of his family.
While I knew Scott for many years prior, I was fortunate enough to bring him over to ICM where we worked together for close to 25 years.
Scott had been working for the Ice Capades and Harlem Globetrotters then, and once he came over, that’s when I started to understand how much he knew. And how many people. And they all really cared for and about him. He just knew how to step in, go to work and that was it. Since he knew everyone and every venue so well, everything was shorthand.
They’re aren’t a lot of the ‘old school’ around anymore, and that’s sad.
Scott walked into a room, and everyone would want to say hi.
I knew I couldn’t make this short, but considering all there is to say about Scott Pang, that’s just the way it is.
If you want to know more, go to Facebook where the beautiful comments can be found by the hundreds. Each one loving and respectful.
And in this rare case, he’s getting what he gave.
He gave a lot to this business and the people in it.
I don’t really want to say any version of goodbye to Scott, but, this was a good man.
A very good man.
I’ll end thinking of him with great affection, but also as inspiration.
I share this sadness with the Pang family. The loss is unspeakable, but know that we all share this grief with them.
Cheers to a life well live who will be greatly missed.
— Steve Levine, CAA

Scott’s passing was a major shock to us all. I worked with him for over 20 years and never saw him lose his cool. Scott was always a very kind man and generous with his time. He embodied the spirit of Hawaii and the Bay Area, where his family was from.
I remember him saying, “It’s not about what you can book, it’s about what you can move.” Meaning anyone can book a show, but you have to have good relationships and negotiating skills to move a confirmed show. He will be sorely missed.
— Rick Farrell, Gersh
I worked next door to Scott Pang for 10 years at ICM Partners.
Not only were we friends, but I admired him in so many ways. His open door policy was the best open door policy out of anyone. Period. Not only could you come in and hang anytime, even if he was in the middle of an intense negotiation, but if you were in the vicinity of his office, he would expect a hang. If you were too busy to hang, then your loss. His even-keeled manner I admired. He never wavered, even on the worst of days. Always steady, always a smile, and always that Pang laugh. I never knew him to have a bad day. Every day, he loved what he did, and was happy to do it.
Buyers loved him, and could get any buyer on the phone any time. He had a way of asking for more out of a deal, mostly because I probably asked for more than was doable, but he always pushed, and did it in a way that was kind and respectful.
He would generally ask me….do you know so and so buyer, and nine times out of ten, I had no idea. He knew buyers in the far reaches, his rolodex was DEEP, and I always wondered how on earth he knew so many buyers?
I spoke to Scott on Friday of last week, and had our usual chat of 15-20 minutes, and 90% of that was discussing life, the fires, our kids, baseball, and the remaining 10% was business. That was PANG.
I’ll miss you buddy.
RIP,
— Jon Pleeter, JPA

Scottie was a dear friend of mine. We had been friends for over 40 years. We both started at the William Morris Agency in the music department in the early ’80s.
Being young and in the agent trainee program…oftentimes…competition gets in the way of friendship. But this was not the case with Scottie and I. We rooted successes for each other and consoled each other’s defeats. We were promoted to agent status on the same day and shared an office. We won the race together!!
I was honored to be named the Godfather of his son, Buster. God…I’m going to miss him. We were supposed to grow old together and share old agent stories at Vito Restaurant in Santa Monica, CA. Bon Voyage my dear friend, Benny Mase. I’ll see you again down the line…
— Guy Richard, Johnny Mathis Touring
As a young promoter, in my early 20’s, Scott was one of the few veteran agents who made sure to take time to discuss the legacy of our industry and make sure that I carried those traditions forward as much as possible. In the early 2000’s, email was far less used for communication between agent & promoter – – so I had the chance to speak with Scott often and receive his mentorship. He was generous with his time and I always appreciated his sense of how to work within the business. I will miss seeing him at industry events and his myriads of stories that make our industry truly special. We have just lost a wonderful human being and I know he will be missed by so many.
— Mark Dinerstein, Los Angeles, CA
I remember going to an event with Scott during the very early days of Pollstar in a hotel suite. I’m not sure it had even launched yet or was just a concept but it was very exciting. Scott was young and interested in all things new. He was a great friend and a great guy that will be missed by anyone that ever knew him. He was without a doubt one of the nicest guys in the music business.
— Doug Rayfield
So sorry to hear the news of his passing. We worked together in the 80’s at William Morris and I’ll always remember Scott for his many great attributes. Scott was dependable, professional, serious , funny and most importantly he was always positive. At the time that was helpful for us both and I think served him well throughout his successful career. RIP my friend.
— Ronnie Kaye
Scott Pang and I were college roommates at UCSD. He was one of my very first friends at UCSD. He was truly a great guy with a huge sense of humor and great spirit for having fun. He was also a very intelligent person. I know he loved his family very very much although I had not been in touch with him for many years, which I feel deeply saddened by. He will be missed greatly, but his
Love and spirit will live on forever.
Rest in peace Benny Mace,
— David Sheils
