CBS and Disney legend behind beloved hit shows dies aged 78 after heartbreaking battle
Bennett, lovingly known as Jamie, passed away on July 6 at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, their three children and extended family, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
The television executive, who spent over a decade at CBS, was best known for developing the iconic talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
He served as an executive for both radio and television stations in San Francisco and Chicago before relocating to Los Angeles, where he became vice president and general manager of KCBS-TV.
Bennett later joined the legendary Walt Disney Company, where he took on the role of senior vice president at Buena Vista Television Productions.
During his time at the company, Bennett played a key role in launching a string of successful programs - including the notorious 1988 talk show, the acclaimed film review series Siskel & Ebert and the popular game show, Win, Lose or Draw.
He later went on to serve as president and CEO of ACI - a Los Angeles-based television and film distribution company.
Bennett and his family ended up relocating to London after ACI was acquired by UK-based Pearson Television in 1995.
During his time in the UK, he led Pearson Television's global production efforts before eventually returning to Los Angeles and settling back on the West Coast.
During this period, Bennett devoted his time, talent and energy to volunteer board service and mentoring business start-ups through Pasadena Angels - an early-stage investment group providing 'angel round' financing to emerging ventures, as reported by Deadline.
In addition to volunteering his expertise, he broadened his horizons by taking on the role of chief operating officer at the Southern California Institute of Architecture - extending his leadership well beyond the entertainment industry.
According to his family, he was instrumental in securing a permanent home for the school in the vibrant heart of LA's Arts District, cementing its future for years to come, as reported by LA Times.
Beyond architecture, he poured his passion into the Ojai Music Festival - serving on its board before taking the reigns as president and CEO for five transformative years until 2020.
Bennett also served on numerous other boards, including the W. Alton Jones Foundation, National Environmental Trust, Phoenix Pictures, St. Nicholas Theater in Chicago, Marlborough School, UC Berkeley Alumni Association and the Television Advisory Board of the Annenberg School at USC, Deadline reported.
He and his wife, Carolyn, eventually retired to an 11-acre farm in the tranquil town of Ojai - nestled about 80 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles - which became his permanent home base.
But Bennett's journey began on June 1, 1947, when he was born in New York City.
He went on to graduate from UC Berkeley, where he not only chaired a student-run summer program in Washington, DC, but also launched his media career as program director of the university's radio station - seemingly the place where his passion for the entertainment industry first took root.
Armed with an MBA from Harvard Business School, he returned to the Big Apple to join CBS - a move that ignited the launch of his influential media career that would span for decades.
In addition to his wife and children, Bennett is now survived by grandchildren, a sister and her husband and a niece with her daughter.
Donations in Bennett's memory can be made to the Ojai Music Festival or to the Jamie Bennett Community Fund, PO Box 185, Ojai, CA 93024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ozzy Osbourne to tell-all on the fling that pushed wife Sharon to overdose and nearly ended his career
When Sharon Osbourne discovered her husband Ozzy had been having an affair in 2016, she locked herself in her bedroom and lost count of the number of pills she took. The distraught music manager, 72, struggled to cope with the devastating news of his infidelity and walked out on their decades-long marriage. But she publicly forgave him months later, and went on to nurse him through several major health issues, including a Parkinson's diagnosis in 2020. Now, nearly ten years on, the Daily Mail can reveal the veteran rocker will detail the bombshell fling in his blisteringly honest upcoming memoir, Last Rites, which will reportedly 'address the good, the bad, the ugly and downright despicable.' Ozzy, who reportedly cheated on Sharon with multiple women through the years, will address how his affair with his hair stylist Michelle Pugh was a 'pivotal moment' in his life, and could have spelled the end of not only his career, but also his marriage forever. 'You are going to get the whole f***ing lot - is how Ozzy has described it,' said one insider close to the Black Sabbath frontman. 'He has opened up on the insane things that have happened in the last 17 years to him and his family.' 'He sat with a writer to address the good, the bad, the ugly and downright despicable - and that will include what went down with Michelle and how Sharon left him,' the source added. 'That time was a really pivotal moment because had he not won Sharon back then perhaps that could have spelled the end for his career and efforts to stay sober, because without Sharon as his rock we all fear the worst.' The insider said Ozzy wants to 'tell the world his version of all that now that the dust has settled,' including how he 'did therapy and the utmost to prove he would not stray and was committed to Sharon.' 'She took him back and it really got his mind focused on working again,' they said, adding: 'Obviously that came off the rails with his Parkinson's and that horrible fall which left him really unable to play a full concert again.' Ozzy will reportedly reiterate how his sex addiction issues were a key reason for the fling with Michelle, who claimed the Brummie star had given her the 'greatest love of my life.' The colorist, who styled the likes of Rihanna and worked on campaigns for Gucci, claimed Ozzy pursued her one year after she first colored his hair in late 2011. Speaking exclusively to People in 2017 about their four-year affair, she said: 'He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world.' Michelle, who also claimed the notorious hellraiser had been 'unhappy' in his marriage, said life post-affair was a 'struggle every day.' Sharon and Ozzy married in 1982 and have three children – Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39. Sharon was aware of Ozzy's wandering eye, admitting to the Telegraph in 2017 that he had cheated on her with multiple women during their relationship, including 'some Russian teenager, then a masseuse in England, our masseuse out here, and then our cook.' The insider said Ozzy wants to 'tell the world his version of all that now that the dust has settled,' including how he 'did therapy and the utmost to prove he would not stray and was committed to Sharon' But his illicit affair with Michelle pushed her to attempt suicide, something she admitted for the first time last year. 'He always, always had groupies and I was so used to that,' she told an audience in London as part of her show, Sharon Osbourne: Cut the Crap. 'But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work... it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested. I took I don't know how many pills. 'I just thought 'My kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves'. So I took an overdose and locked myself in the bedroom. The maid tried to come in to clean the room and saw me.' She later announced she had forgiven him, describing him as a 'romantic fool' during an appearance on The Talk in July 2016. 'I forgive,' she said. 'It's going take a long time to trust, but we've been together 36 years, 34 of marriage … I just can't think of my life without him. Even though he is a dog. He's a dirty dog. So there we are. He's going to pay big.' She added: 'He feels that he owes everyone here an apology because he's put us all through it. He's very embarrassed and ashamed about his conduct.' Ozzy also addressed his behavior in an interview with British GQ in 2020. 'I've done some pretty outrageous things in my life,' he said. 'I regret cheating on my wife. I don't do it anymore. 'I got my reality check and I'm lucky she didn't leave me. I'm not proud of that. I was pissed off with myself. But I broke her heart.' Last Rites promises to be one of the most shocking, saddening and side splitting autobiographies of all time, according to our insider. The 320 pages will cover his marital strife, ongoing battle with sobriety, devastation over his Parkinson's diagnoses and the brutal physical and mental health struggles he's faced since he fell at home in 2019 prompting a raft of life changing issues. The source added: 'Ozzy is going all the way in this book right up till what happened on stage with Sabbath last week. The stories he has to tell are incredible and his own emotional take on everything is going to be gripping. 'The man has so many layers to him and at the centre of it is a deeply complicated human being doing his best to battle his demons all while trying to be the best father and hubby and loving being a granddad.' Ozzy released a statement about the book through his publisher Hachette Books. 'People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I'm like, f*** no. If I'd been clean and sober, I wouldn't be Ozzy. If I'd done normal, sensible things, I wouldn't be Ozzy. Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can't complain. I've been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. I've done good... and I've done bad. But right now, I'm not ready to go anywhere.' A PR release confirmed that Sharon and Ozzy's relationship will be examined. 'Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Osbourne's descent into hell. Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career – including his turbulent marriage to wife Sharon.' It Is estimated that Ozzy, who played five tracks at the Back To The Beginning farewell show in Villa Park last week, earned £3million for the deal. It hits stores on October 7.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Penniless' Alice Evans demands financial lifeline from ex loan Gruffudd to keep a roof over daughters' heads as divorce battle hits boiling point
Actress Alice Evans ' bitter legal battle to force her ex - Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd - to cough up more support money for her and their two young daughters is set for a dramatic showdown this week. The former couple are expected to face each other in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday when Evans, 56, will ask Judge Josh Stinn to increase the $4,500 a month Gruffudd, 51, is currently paying. In the run-up to this week's court hearing, has obtained court documents filed by Evans in which she claimed poverty and was so broke that she had to borrow money from friends and set up a GoFundMe account that raised $18,000 in donations. She said that she and her girls - Ella, 15 and Elsie, 11 - were recently evicted from their LA home because she couldn't afford to pay the $6,500 per month rent. She contended that she had to 'burn through' her savings to pay living expenses and legal fees. And she insisted Gruffudd - who married his now-pregnant new wife Bianca Wallace, 32, in April - can afford to pay more than the $3,000 per month child support and $1,500 spousal support he now pays. Evans has already created a divorce fundraiser by setting up a GoFundMe, which has so far raised $18,557, as the mother of two claims they were evicted from their LA home since she couldn't afford the monthly $6,500 rent She insists Gruffudd - now married to pregnant actress Bianca Wallace, 32 - can easily afford more than the $3K in child support and $1.5K in spousal support he currently pays But Gruffudd is fighting his ex's cash demands and in his own court filing, poured scorn on Evans' claims, saying that she 'purposely got herself evicted…. intentionally ceasing paying rent and instead taking the children on a vacation trip to Europe.' Her motive, he said, was to 'support her false public narrative of financial destitution in an attempt to further harm my reputation……as a fraudulent way to strong-arm me into paying more support than I can afford.' Gruffudd also maintained that subpoenaed bank records show that, far from being broke, Evans made more than $130,000 in 2024 and is expected to earn a similar amount this year - a claim that Evans called 'false and misleading.' In his recent court filing, Gruffudd told how he was 'mortified' to have received 'dozens of stressed messages from our minor children in which they have parroted Alice's false and manufactured claims of becoming homeless in the immediate future.' But in her new court documents, Evans denies manipulating the children to send plaintive messages to their father. 'I absolutely did not ask the children to send messages to (Gruffudd) about our eviction and pending homelessness,' she said. 'The children are well aware of our financial distress and the eviction.' Evans also pooh-poohed Gruffudd's accusation in his most recent court filing that his ex is still violating a three-year domestic abuse restraining order 'by physically stalking, ongoing harassment and publicly posting denigrating things about me on social media.' She called the restraining order Gruffudd's effort 'to muzzle me and violate my First Amendment rights.' And, she added. 'There is absolutely no evidence of stalking…. I have no idea where he and his wife live, nor do I have any interest in stalking them. This is plainly ridiculous.' Gruffudd sought - and was granted - the restraining order in August 2022 after telling the court how Evans had 'engaged in a smear campaign of hateful text messages, emails and social media posts…aimed at intimidating me and my fiancé Bianca Wallace while alienating our two young children from me.' With the restraining order due to expire next month, Gruffudd is going back to court August 1 to ask Judge Stinn to extend it, and his new wife, Bianca Wallace, is expected to testify against Evans. 'At the (August 1) hearing, I will be calling witnesses and presenting evidence to show Alice's continued abuse,' declared Gruffudd - whose latest movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die has grossed more than $400million worldwide. Gruffudd and Evans met on the set of the movie 102 Dalmatians more than 20 years ago. They fell in love in real life and were married in Mexico in 2007. Gruffudd filed for divorce in March 2021, shortly after Evans announced on social media that her husband of 14 years was leaving her. They were divorced in July 2023.
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Molly Sims, 52, pulls down her bikini bottoms to show off size 2 figure... after revealing her top 3 diet hacks
Instagram pinup Molly Sims has slipped into yet another string bikini for a pinup post shared to Instagram. The 52-year-old former model - who is still a size two - looked slimmer during a summer vacation with her family and friends. The Vegas star was staying at a beach town as she made the lusty pose where she was literally pulling down her bikini briefs for the camera. The Los Angeles resident had a small waistline, strong legs and sculpted arms; her followers were stunned by her youthful glow: 'Forever Bikini Inspo!' and 'gorgeous' were in the comments section. The TV veteran added a pink beaded necklace and gold bracelets with gold-rimmed sunglasses as she flashed a summer tan. In her caption, the wife of Netflix honcho Scott Stuber said: 'Bye kids!' In the new images, Sims looked flawless with no cellulite, stretch marks or fat anywhere on her lean body. The former Old Navy model was making the most of the suit that highlighted her trim tummy, which was earned by daily workouts that include yoga, pilates, cycling and power walking. This comes after she revealed her top three diet hacks. One hack is that she drinks bone broth. The luminary even showed her followers that she pours the brown liquid into a white mug with a red heart on front. Over the photo of the mug of broth she wrote: 'Anti-ageing, good for digestions and gut, helps my joints after workouts, better sleep... 'This has been game changing for me.' According to webmd, 'Bone broth, sometimes called stock, is liquid made from boiling animal bones and connective tissue. The TV veteran added a pink beaded necklace and gold bracelets with gold-rimmed sunglasses as she flashed a summer tan. In her caption, the wife of Netflix honcho Scott Stuber said: 'Bye kids!' 'Chefs use stock as a base for soups, sauces, and gravies. Some people drink it on its own. 'People have been making bone broth since the beginning of humankind. 'Anthropologists think people drank liquid infused with bones and other animal parts as early as prehistoric times. 'People all over the planet make bone broth from the animals that live nearby. 'The popular Japanese ramen dish tonkatsu — 'pork bone broth' in English — is one example.' It was also shared that most bone broth has at least trace amounts of several nutrients. 'Adding vegetables to bone broth can also significantly enhance its nutritional benefits.' It was also claimed it can help with weight management, hydration, sleep, nutrition. Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Shailene Woodley have also praised the benefits of drinking bone broth in the past. Another one of Molly's diet hacks is to do 'mindful eating,' incorporating healthy fats, and strategic snacking. The TV star emphasizes a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and lean protein, particularly egg whites, while limiting meat and gluten. Sims also utilizes healthy hacks like frozen grapes for a guilt-free sweet treat and adds protein powder to recipes for an extra boost. And the third hack is intermittent fasting which is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and voluntary fasting on a regular schedule. It's not a diet in the traditional sense, but rather a way of timing meals. Common methods include the 16/8 method (fasting for 16 hours, eating within an 8-hour window) and the 5:2 method (eating normally for 5 days, restricting calories for 2 days).
