Beverly Noga, a music publicist who helped guide the careers of such artists as Sonny & Cher, Cream, the Bee Gees and The Chambers Brothers, died Friday of cancer at her home in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson said. She was 87.
Noga and Bobbi Cowan, niece of legendary publicist Warren Cowan, founded Contemporary Public Relations in 1964. Their clients also included The Turtles, Three Dog Night, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Joe Cocker and Blind Faith.
When the office closed, Noga and Willie Chambers of The Chambers Brothers formed Hebewillen Enterprises and Hebewillen Publishing, running both until her death.
Noga’s parents, John and Helen Noga, owned the Blackhawk and Downbeat nightclubs in San Francisco that hosted such acts as Dave Brubeck, Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.
Noga’s mother discovered and managed Johnny Mathis, and as the singer’s career took off, he and her family moved into a home on Sunset Boulevard and Elm Drive in Beverly Hills.
Noga became an integral part of her mom’s management team in its California and New York offices, and their Beverly Hills home became a place to host celebrities from the worlds of music and film.
Survivors include her daughter, prolific voiceover actress Sherry Lynn; son-in-law Robert Briscoe Evans, an actor; granddaughter Jessica Evans, an actress, and her partner, Freddy Delgadillo; granddaughter Katie Cooper and her husband, Kyle Cooper; and great-granddaughter Rilo Anne Cooper.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
