Eric Gardner Dies: Artist Manager Who Repped Members Of The Sex Pistols, The E Street Band, The Stones & The Who Was 74
deadline.comEric Gardner, Chairman and CEO of Panacea Entertainment who began his career coordinating tours for Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead before pivoting to talent management for such clients as Paul Shaffer, Donny Osmond, The Sex Pistols, as well as members of The Rolling Stones, The E Street Band and The Who, died at his home in Camarillo, California, July 19 from complications of pneumonia.
He was 74. His death was announced by Janis Gardner, his wife and Panacea Entertainment co-owner. Born Eric Winslow Gardner on November 20, 1949, Garner’s long and notable career as a talent manager, film, television, and Las Vegas residency show producer began in 1970 when he started coordinating tours for the bands Jefferson Airplane, KISS, and the Grateful Dead.
By 1973 his company Panacea Entertainment Corp. was coordinating tours for major bands in 23 countries around the world. In 1974 Panacea’s emphasis shifted to talent management and over the year’s Eric represented such diverse artists as Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, Kenney Jones of The Who/ Faces/Small Faces, Todd Rundgren, Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, The Stray Cats, Jefferson Starship, John Lydon, Hot Tuna, Blue Oyster Cult, Jim Steinman, David Hasselhoff, Richard Belzer, Timothy Leary, Richard Chamberlain, Grace Jones, Bettye La Vette and others. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: Gardner expanded into television in 1981 with his signing of Cassandra Peterson, better known as horror host Elvira, whom Gardner helped catapult from a local television artist into an international film and television phenomenon.
Gardner produced Elvira’s Halloween TV special in 1986, the feature film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark in 1988, and a slate of other films and specials many featuring
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