(CelebrityAccess) — Walter James “Herbie” Herbert II, the artist manager musician and former roadie who represented acts such as Santana, and Journey, has reportedly died. He was 73.
Herbert’s passing was revealed by his former client, Journey’s Neal Schon, who said he passed recently but did not provide a cause of death.
“I’ll cherish all the incredible times and trials and tribulations we experienced together. Herbie was an incredible hands on manager and fought like a mother f****r for all of us every step of the way,” Schon said of his former colleauge.
Herbert got his start in the industry through his mentor Bill Graham, landing a gig as a roadie for the band Santana. While on tour with Santana, he made friends with future Journey members Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon and after the band came unglued in 1973, he recruited former members for a new project, Journey.
Herbert managed Journey for the next two decades, overseeing every aspect of their career, from their touring business as a road manager to catalog and even real estate for the band through Nocturne Productions.
He finally departed his management role with the band in 1993 amid personal differences with Steve Perry.
In addition to Journey, Herbet managed The Steve Miller Band and co-managed acts such as Roxette and Europe, among others.
In later life, Herbet launched his own production studio and created a musical alter ego, the bluesman Sy Klopps. Backed by a band that included Neal Schon, Kee Marcello, Prairie Prince, Ross Valory, Norton Buffalo and Gregg Rolie, Sy Klopps released several albums, and performed on side projects such as Bill Kreutzmann’s Trichomes.
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