Music executive Busby dead at 59

MALIBU, Calif., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Music executive Jheryl Busby, long credited with saving the Motown record label, has died in Malibu, Calif., at the age of 59, an official says.

Ed Winter, a Los Angeles County Coroner's Department spokesman, confirmed Busby died this week of undetermined causes, ending a career in the music industry that included work with the popular Detroit record label, The New York Times reported Saturday.

While the Motown label had been credited with launching the careers of singers such as Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross, the company was in dire straits when Busby became its chief executive.

Busby helped the company recover its footing by convincing stars such as Ross to rejoin the struggling label during those troubling times, the Times said.

The company was then sold to an investment firm, Boston Ventures, and MCA Inc. and was relocated to Los Angeles.

The resurgent label's influence then grew when Busby signed newer acts such as Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill and Queen Latifah.

The Times said information regarding any survivors of Busby, who died Tuesday, was unavailable.