Phil Quartararo Dead at 67 — Music Exec Was Influential in Spice Girls, U2’s Careers

Phil Quartararo, who helped introduce the Spice Girls and U2 to American listeners, died of pancreatic cancer on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles

Phil Quartararo, a music executive who contributed to the early successes of numerous musical acts has died. He was 67.

According to multiple reports , Quartararo died of pancreatic cancer on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles.

Paula Abdul mourned Quartararo's death in a statement to Variety . She recorded for Virgin Records America during his stint as president and CEO. "Phil believed in me like no other," said Abdul. "His ceaseless support for me during my time at Virgin was unparalleled. I will miss him."

Born Jan. 7, 1956 in Brooklyn, Quartararo attended Syracuse University before working at A&M and RCA Records.

From 1982 to 1986, he served as senior VP of promotion and marketing at Island Records, where he played a key role in introducing U2 to America .

Quartararo helped launch Virgin Records America in 1986 before ascending to president and CEO in 1992. During his tenure there, he was influential in launching the Spice Girls in the U.S., in addition to working with such acts as Abdul, Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Lenny Kravitz and Smashing Pumpkins.

He had gone on to serve as president for Warner Bros. Records and executive vice president of EMI Music, working with artists like Madonna, Cher, Stevie Nicks, Eric Clapton, Josh Groban, Linkin Park, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Coldplay and more.

"I loved helping an artist’s dream come true," said Quartararo in a 2021 interview . "I cannot press upon you the satisfaction of doing that."