Jacqueline Avant, Wife Of Legendary Music Business Exec Clarence Avant, Shot And Killed During Home Invasion
UPDATED: 5:25 p.m. EST
Jacqueline Avant, the wife of recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and legendary music industry executive, Clarence Avant, was reportedly shot and killed during a home invasion attempt at the couple’s home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 81.
According to a police report, authorities were called to a shooting at 2:23 a.m. on Wednesday morning (Dec. 1) and that one victim had been taken to a nearby hospital, but didn’t survive.
Speaking at a press conference, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook confirmed to reporters that both Clarence Avant and a security guard were at the home when the invasion took place. No other individuals were injured in the incident.
What is unclear is what the motive of the intruders was, how many there were, or if the Avants knew them. Stainbrook said investigators were still at the home as of Wednesday afternoon and information is still forthcoming. He also said he could not speculate on whether or not it was a random attack.
Stainbrook did not speculate on what, if any action, the security guard took or if there was damage to the home, although a televised image showed a shattered glass door at the front of the Avants' home.
He said the department would review security camera footage to try to determine the identity of the suspect or suspects.
"We have a lot of cameras in the city and people have private cameras, we will look at all avenues of evidence," Stainbrook said.
Jacqueline Avant has been a prominent Los Angeles philanthropist over the decades, perhaps most notably for her work with the UCLA International Student Center, the L.A. Times reports. She is the mother-in-law of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.
Clarence Avant, 90, often called the “Godfather of Black Music”was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and was the subject of the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather, produced by daughter Nicole Avant. The doc portrays Clarence’s life from being connected to Louis Armstrong’s longtime manager Joe Glaser, to his connection to Al Capone who helped launch his career.
