Marty Erlichman, Barbra Streisand’s longtime manager, dies at 97 after six decades together
A partnership spanning decades
Erlichman died Saturday of age-related causes, according to a statement from his representatives. His family said they felt his loss deeply and were proud of the life he lived and the mark he left.
Streisand said she had believed he would live forever and described him as always being by her side. She said they worked together for 60 years without a contract, relying instead on a handshake.
Erlichman managed the business side of her career, negotiating agreements for recordings, theater, films, television, licensing and concerts. He also conceived and executive produced her concert appearances and tours, including the 2000 Millennium Concert and her 2006–07 world tour.
Their first meeting in New York
Erlichman met Streisand in May 1961 at the Bon Soir nightclub in Greenwich Village, where she was the opening act. She was 19 and told him she was an actress who sang because she was not finding acting work.
Streisand later recalled that Erlichman praised her ability in comedy and drama and predicted she could have a major career. Though she already had a manager, Erlichman left his business card and invited her to contact his office for advice.
She eventually called him about a salary dispute over a Detroit engagement. After he could not secure her a raise, he secretly paid the difference himself, and Streisand hired him soon afterward.
Deals, productions and early work
Erlichman bought out Streisand’s contract with her previous manager for $750, using a loan from her. He later secured her a Columbia Records deal that gave her, at her request, unusual control over her repertoire and album-cover designs.
He was executive producer of Streisand’s 1994 HBO special, Barbra: The Concert, which won him an Emmy and a Peabody Award. He also produced films, including Streisand’s 1974 comedy For Pete’s Sake and the 1978 thriller Coma.
Born September 13, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, Erlichman graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1960, he began managing Irish folk group The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem; he arranged their 1961 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where extra performance time helped lead to a Columbia Records contract.
Key points
- Erlichman died Saturday at 97 of age-related causes, according to his representatives.
- Their working relationship lasted 60 years without a contract, Streisand said.
- His producing work on Barbra: The Concert earned an Emmy and a Peabody Award.