Jacqueline Avant, wife of music legend, killed in shooting

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Jacqueline Avant, a Los Angeles philanthropist and the woman of legendary euphony enforcement Clarence Avant, was fatally changeable astatine their location successful Beverly Hills, California, aboriginal Wednesday, constabulary said.

Police and paramedics arrived astatine the location aft a 2:23 a.m. telephone to find Jacqueline Avant, 81, with a gunshot wound, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said astatine an day quality conference. She was taken to a hospital, but did not survive.

The fishy oregon suspects were gone erstwhile constabulary arrived. No 1 has been arrested and the motive remains unclear, Stainbrook said. Nothing was stolen from the house, and nary 1 other was injured.

“Someone went into the home, we don’t cognize the intent down it,” the main said. “I don’t deliberation it’s a random onslaught but I can’t speculate connected that.”

Jacqueline Avant was a longtime section philanthropist who led organizations that helped low-income neighborhoods including Watts and South Los Angeles, and was connected the committee of directors of the International Student Center astatine the University of California, Los Angeles.

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The Avants' daughter, Nicole Avant, is simply a movie shaper and erstwhile U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas and is joined to Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

“The full household wishes to convey everyone for their outpouring of love, enactment and condolences for Jacqueline Yvonne. Jacqueline was an astonishing woman, wife, mother, philanthropist, and a 55 twelvemonth nonmigratory of Beverly Hills, who has made an immeasurable affirmative publication and interaction connected the arts community,” the Avant and Sarandos families said successful a statement. “She volition beryllium missed by her family, friends and each of the radical she has helped passim her astonishing life."

Former President Bill Clinton besides paid her tribute.

“Jackie Avant was a fantastic woman, a large spouse to Clarence and parent to Alex and Nicole, an progressive national & a beloved person to Hillary and maine for 30 years,” Clinton said connected Twitter. “She inspired admiration, respect & affection successful everyone who knew her. We are heartbroken. She volition beryllium profoundly missed.”

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Grammy-winning enforcement Clarence Avant is known arsenic the “Godfather of Black Music" and was precocious inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 90-year-old was besides a performance promoter and manager who mentored and helped the careers of artists including Bill Withers, Little Willie John, L.A. Reid, Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

He founded Sussex Records and Tabu Records successful the 1960s and 1970s, and was seat of Motown Records successful the 1990s.

The Avants were joined successful 1967. They besides person a son, Alexander Du Bois Avant.

Nicole Avant produced a Netflix documentary astir her father, 2019's “The Black Godfather.” In an interrogation with NBC News astir the film, she talked astir her mother's relation successful the family.

“My ma is truly the 1 who brought to my begetter and our household the emotion and passionateness and value of the arts and civilization and entertainment,” she said. “While my begetter was successful it, making each the deals, my parent was the 1 who gave me, for example, my emotion of literature, my emotion of filmmaking, my emotion of storytelling.”

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TMZ archetypal reported Jacqueline Avant's death.

Stainbrook, who is successful his archetypal week arsenic chief, said nary 1 other was injured successful the shooting. A information defender was astatine the home. He would not further picture the enactment betwixt the shooter and Jacqueline Avant.

“I privation to reassure the Beverly Hills assemblage that the metropolis remains safe, and 1 of the safest successful the nation,” the main said.

Basketball icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote connected Twitter that helium and his woman were “devastated” by the quality of Avant's death, calling her “one of our closest friends.”

“This is the saddest time successful our lives,” helium wrote.

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles.

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