LOS ANGELES -- Murray 'The K' Kaufman, the king of rock 'n' roll disc jockeys who anticipated the British rock invasion in the early 1960s and was dubbed 'The Fifth Beatle' by George Harrison, has died of cancer. He was 60.
Kaufman died late Sunday in a Los Angeles hospital. 'He passed away after a long battle with cancer,'Rick Olson, his manager, reported.
Murray the K, perhaps the first American disc jockey to grasp the import of the Beatles' popularity, led a contingent of thousands of screaming teenagers to meet the 'Fab Four' when they arrived in New York on their first U.S. tour.
He later developed a close releationship with the group and accompanied them on several of their U.S. appearances. Harrison named Kaufman 'The Fifth Beatle' during the group's first American tour in 1964, when they shared a room on the road.
'Murray Kaufman was a special person who contributed to American music,' said Dick Clark, a long-time friend and host of the 'American Bandstand' TV series.
'He was unique. He combined his own special on-the-air talent with his ability to inspire the best of other people's talent. He was a pioneer and an innovator.'
During the early 1960s, Kauffman -- who called his show 'Murray the K and his Swinging Soiree' -- was the undisputed king of rock 'n' roll radio in metropolitan New York and became well known throughout the nation. Millions of teenagers recognized his voice, followed his make-believe 'submarine races' and even learned to talk in a pig-Latin style of language he developed.
Wolfman Jack, Hollywood's most famous disc jockey who had a featured role in the movie 'American Grafitti,' called Kaufman a 'rock impresario.'
'He's been a real good friend of mine and a good friend to the music scene,' he said. 'He was one of my heroes in 1962 when I first met him, and I'll miss him.
'But he's like an old song -- he'll never fade away entirely,' the disc jockey said. Long before rock concerts featured only one act at ticket prices near $25, Kaufman promoted and hosted massive shows at Palisade's Amusement Park in New Jersey and in the old Brooklyn Fox and Brooklyn Paramount theaters, featuring some of the biggest names in the business.
In the late 1950s, Kaufman was credited with helping to discover Bobby Darin and Johnny Mathis. Latter he helped introduce dozens of popular entertainers, including The Righteous Brothers, Chuck Berry, Wilson Picket, The Drifters and The Ronnettes.
One Murray the K show at Brooklyn Fox in 1963 included The Spinners, The Supremes, The O'Jays, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells. For less than $10, fans also got to see a movie.
Kaufman, who reigned over Top 40 rock on station WINS, in 1968 moved to WOR-FM, New York's first progressive rock station, as a program director and disc jockey.
In recent years, Kaufman was a regular guest on syndicated radio shows and appeared in television commercials promoting 'oldie' albums. In 1973, he served as a technical advisor for the stage hit 'Beatlemania.'
Kaufman lived in New York most of his life, but moved to Los Angeles when his former wife, Jacklyn Zeman, was transferred to Hollywood with the rest of the cast of the 'General Hospital' soap opera.
He is survived by three sons -- Jeffrey and Keith, both of New York; and Peter Altschuler, a producer, director and writer who lives in Los Angeles.
Memorial services were scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York and for Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Hillside Chapel in Los Angeles.
Burial arrangements were handled by Groman Mortuary in Los Angeles. The family requested that donations in lieu of flowers be made to the American Cancer Society and the Chemotherapy Foundation.
