Mo Ostin

Mo Ostin (born Morris Meyer Ostrofsky; March 27, 1927 – July 31, 2022) was an American record executive. The chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records from 1972 to 1994 and co-founder of DreamWorks Records, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Early life Ostin was born Morris Meyer Ostrofsky in New York City on March 27, 1927. His family was Jewish and fled Russia during the Russian Revolution. Frank Sinatra tried and failed to buy Verve, which was eventually sold to MGM Records. Sinatra was reportedly so impressed by the company's artists and the management's style that he formed his own Reprise Records in 1960 and hired Ostin to head it. Three years later, Reprise joined forces with Warner Bros. serving as its chairman and CEO from 1972 onwards. Recognized as an industry titan, he served as chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America for a two-year term. He left Warner acrimoniously in 1994 after they requested that he slash his payroll, turning down their offer of a three-year extension. He described the situation as "the toughest thing I've ever been through in the business", adding that "it shook [him] to the core". Three years later, he received The Recording Academy President's Merit Award at the 2006 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons.

George Harrison wrote the song "Mo" as a tribute to Ostin.

Philanthropy A graduate of UCLA, Ostin and his wife Evelyn donated $10 million and played a critical role in establishing the university's Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center, a state-of-the-art campus music facility. In March 2015, Ostin donated $10 million to UCLA for the Mo Ostin Basketball Center, a state-of-the-art training facility, which was opened in October 2017 and named in his honor. He also sat on the board of visitors for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, and supported the UCLA Center for the Art of Performance. All three worked as Warner executives. From 1987 until his death, Ostin was the owner of the modernist Wave House in Malibu, California.