Allan Carr, Producer, Impresario, Manager and Showman, Dies at 62.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--June 29, 1999--

Allan Carr died today at 2:30 p.m. at his home in Beverly Hills. Cause of death was cancer. He was 62.

In December 1998, he had a kidney transplant operation, and this was followed by hip surgery. Approximately one month ago, doctors discovered cancer.

In addition to producing "Grease," the most popular movie musical of all time, he also won the 1984 Tony Award for producing that year's Best Musical, "La Cage aux Folles," which became a runaway international hit. Shortly afterward, Carr brought Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company to Broadway and Washington, and received a Tony nomination in the process.

Raised in suburban Highland Park, Ill., Carr attended Lake Forest College and entered show business after a stint at Northwestern University. His first venture was as one of the creators of the Playboy Penthouse Television series.

He was also responsible for the opening of the magnificent Civic Theatre in Chicago, where he personally presented Bette Davis and Gary Merrill in "The World of Carl Sandburg," Tyrone Guthrie's production of "Mary Stuart," starring Eva La Gallienne, and Tennessee Williams' "Garden District," with Cathleen Nesbitt and Diana Barrymore.

As a manager, Carr represented and guided the careers of some of the most exciting personalities in the entertainment field. A partial list of his clients includes Ann-Margret, Peter Sellers, Nancy Walker, triple-Oscar-winner Marvin Hamlish, Melina Mercouri, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Tony Curtis, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Dyan Cannon, Paul Anka, Petula Clark, Joan Rivers, Peggy Lee, Rosalind Russell and Cass Elliot. His personal discoveries include Mark Hammill, Michelle Pfieffer, Steve Guttenberg and Lisa Hartman.

Carr served as creative consultant to The Robert Stigwood Organization in the marketing and promotion of "Tommy," the movie rock opera that racked up theater rentals in excess of $40 million throughout the world. He and Stigwood then presented "Survival," the cinematic saga of the Andes crash victims, which became one of the top-grossing international film successes of 1976.

Carr previously produced "The First Time," starring Jacqueline Bisset, for United Artists, and "C.C. and Company," with Ann-Margret and Joe Namath, for Avco Embassy. He also was instrumental in creating the marketing strategy behind the 1978 Oscar-winning film "The Deer Hunter."

"Grease" brought Carr numerous accolades. He was named Producer of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners, and also won two People's Choice awards for Best Movie of the Year and Year's Most Popular Film. In 1982, he was awarded the first-ever honorary Showman of the Year award. Among Carr's other films are "Grease 2," "Can't Stop The Music" and "Where The Boys Are."

Carr, a resident of Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, Calif., enjoyed a well-deserved reputation for giving the most imaginative and glorious of Hollywood parties. His soirees for such luminaries as Elton John, Rudolf Nureyev and Neil Sedaka have become legendary -- although none can compare with his black-tie dinner-dance given in honor of Truman Capote in the Los Angeles Lincoln Heights jail.

Carr recently had returned to work at Paramount after a self-imposed absence from producing, due to health problems.

He leaves no survivors and at this request, there will be no services.