Barbra Streisand says she never signed a management contract with Marty Erlichman, the man who helped guide her career from New York nightclubs to international stardom. She paid tribute to him after a relationship stretching back more than six decades.
Erlichman died in Los Angeles on October 31 at 97. His representatives attributed his death to age-related causes, according to Rolling Stone.
Streisand, 84, shared a vintage photograph of them together on Instagram on November 1. “I truly thought he would live forever,” she wrote, describing him as “simply indestructible.”
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Miko Mayama Erlichman, their son J.J., daughter-in-law Talia and four grandchildren. His family remembered him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather.
He Was Still Encouraging Streisand to Tour Weeks Before His Death
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In a further statement shared with PEOPLE, Streisand said Erlichman had recently tried to persuade her to go on tour again. He had promised to accompany her throughout the experience.
“He trusted me, and I trusted him,” she said. Streisand described feeling protected with Erlichman beside her in a difficult business and expressed gratitude for his loyalty and support. His responsibilities had included negotiating her recording, theater, film, television, licensing and concert agreements.
Five Songs at the Bon Soir Led to a Backstage Introduction
Erlichman went to the Greenwich Village nightclub in 1961 to see comedian Phil Leeds. Instead, Streisand’s opening set captured his attention. In a 1991 Vanity Fair interview revisited by USA TODAY, he recalled getting chills through all five songs before heading backstage to meet her.
She saw herself primarily as an actress, singing because acting work had not materialized. Erlichman believed she could succeed in both professions. When she later sought his help securing better pay at a Detroit club, he quietly contributed money toward her fee himself. Streisand subsequently lent him $750 to buy out her agreement with her previous manager, according to her memoir as quoted in the report.
His negotiations also helped preserve her control over her recordings. In passages from My Name Is Barbra reproduced by Rolling Stone, Streisand recalled accepting less money upfront in exchange for creative authority in her first record deal. She could choose her songs and reject an album she did not want released, rather than allowing the label to dictate those decisions.
A Ski Trip Brought Them Back Together After a Management Break
Erlichman stepped away as Streisand’s manager in 1976. During the intervening years, he produced Coma, with Michael Douglas and Geneviève Bujold, and Breathless, starring Richard Gere. He later said he had missed management.
In a February 15, 1986, interview with Billboard, Erlichman recalled that they had gone a couple of years without speaking before a mutual friend told Streisand they were both skiing in Utah. She called him, they met, and they began staying in touch more regularly.
He resumed managing her at the start of 1986, spending his first weeks reviewing contracts and commitments. “She and I jumped right into it like there had been no gap,” he said. He found that many executives he had known during their first years together were now running record companies.
Their later work included the 1994 HBO special Barbra Streisand: The Concert. The Television Academy lists Erlichman among its 1995 Emmy winners for outstanding variety, music or comedy special. The production also received a Peabody, whose citation credits him as an executive producer and describes Streisand performing with a 64-piece orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch.
Streisand Celebrated His 97th Birthday in September
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In a September 13 Instagram post, Streisand shared another photograph with Erlichman and called him “the greatest manager ever.” She said he had been part of her life since she was 19.
An earlier birthday celebration brought their working history into the music itself. A 2010 account republished on her official website described a party she hosted at her Malibu home, where she presented him with a hybrid Mercedes and sang “The Very Thought of You,” a song he had long wanted her to record.
Hamlisch accompanied her on “The Way We Were,” with new lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The words recalled Erlichman’s early days making business calls from a Manhattan telephone booth. He chose the guest list himself, which included people who had worked with them at different stages of her career.
His family plans a private service and has requested donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the National Kidney Foundation in place of flowers.