IAN COPELAND, 57

Without him you might never have heard of REM or The Police. the Average White Band or Squeeze. Copeland was a music promoter. The BBC reports:

Copeland, whose brother Stewart was a founding member and drummer in The Police, was a booking agent for many of the "new wave" rock acts of the 1980s.

His strategy of making bands tour small venues and nightclubs around the US helped to break acts like Squeeze and The B-52's into the mainstream.

He died of melanoma at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist announced.

Born in Syria, Copeland was the son of Miles Copeland Junior, a jazz musician turned US intelligence officer.