Michael Leon, who worked in the music business for a long time and was married to Leslee Dart, the founder of 42 West and a well-known promoter, died on April 2. He had lived for 76 years.
After joining the famous independent record label A&M Records in 1976, he worked his way up to Senior Vice President and Head of East Coast Operations. He was known for his friendly management style and his ability to spot new talent. He helped Suzanne Vega, Joan Armitrading, The Police, Squeeze, and Supertramp, among many others, build their careers.
Leon was also Vice President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Head of International for EMI Records Group, and President of the independent label Hybrid Records.
After getting married to Dart in 1996, he was often seen with her at big events all over the world. He loved being “Mr. Dart” and even changed his email name to “mistadart.”
After becoming well-known as President at PMK, Dart started 42 West in 2004. Tom Hanks, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, Darren Aronofsky, and Meryl Streep were among the people who hired her. She sold 42 West to Dolphin Entertainment in 2017 after building it up from just two workers to one of the biggest PR firms in Hollywood. She will retire from the business in 2021.
Leon is survived by Dart and his two boys, Adam Leon, a well-known filmmaker (Gimme the Loot, Tramps), and Matthew Leon, who works in the music department at CAA.
