20-07-2025
CBS and Disney legend behind beloved hit shows dies aged 78 after heartbreaking battle
Former CBS and Disney executive James Stark Bennett II has died after a heartbreaking battle with cancer.
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.
