Death of UK music biz legend

Rob, the founder and owner of the Coalition PR and Management Group, had fought a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Tina.

As head of the press department of Island Records in the late 1970s and 1980s, Rob was heavily involved in the burgeoning career of U2. Originally a journalist with Music Week, and subsequently with Melody Maker – where he was news editor – he was a big fan and a good friend of Hot Press. Rob was in constant contact with the magazine, and arranged many of the major interviews of late '70s and '80s, with stars like Bob Marley, Marianne Faithfull, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Frankie Goes To Holywood and many more, including U2.

As head of Press and PR at Island, he worked alongside Neil Storey, who was his second in command. Rob left Island in 1991, to form Partridge & Storey PR with Neil, which in 1996 became Coalition PR – the company going on to develop into artist management as well as public relations, successfully handling the careers of Bloc Party, The Streets, The Music, The Zutons, The View, Embrace and Irish singer songwriter Fionn Regan.

Tributes to Rob have been pouring in to music media over the past 24 hours. Marianne Faithfull, another of Rob's clients at Coalition, described Rob as "one of the greatest men I have known and a great man to work with. I don't know what I will do without him. We have been friends for so long."

Johnny Marr was similarly eloquent in his praise of a man who loved and lived for music. "Rob was a lovely guy, gentle and polite, but not above good devilish humor," he said. "He loved soulful music and working with soulful artists, because he was soulful himself."

Bono also paid tribute to the man who played a very important part in creating the initial momentum that brought U2 to global stardom. "Rob Partridge was the first person in the British Music Industry to sing our praises," he said. "He not only had an eye for upcoming talent, he was a nurturer... a person who would educate you about the kind of obstacles you were going to meet and how to get over them... a rare human being."

Rob also worked closely with recent Hot Press cover star Tom Waits, as well as Manu Chao, Billy Bragg, The Charlatans and U2 producer and solo artist Daniel Lanois. Outside music, Rob had the misfortune of being a fan of Queens Park Rangers.

"I remember him rueing that bitterly," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. "But in an entirely humourous way! In truth, of course, he didn't have a bitter bone in his body. He was a great PR man, and a great manager, because he had the ability to convince you of the importance of the artists he was championing. He was hugely instrumental in putting Hot Press on the map, getting us access to some of the biggest names in music and funding trips for our writers to far flung places, including week long sojourns on the road with U2 in the US that must have cost Island a fortune! But he did that because he understood the value of powerful, informed writing about music better than possibly anyone else in the business. As one former Hot Presser put it today, he was the original 'Friend of the Vibe' – a guy who made it possible for us to sup at the top table on the basis that he believed in the magazine and what it was doing. We owe him a huge debt of thanks."

Coalition also issued a statement: "From Tina and all of us at the Coalition Family and to all in our extended family of ex-staffers, clients, colleagues, artists, journalists and friends, we send our heartfelt thanks for all your love and support during Rob's fight and the knowledge that his spirit will live on through all of us that he's taught and nurtured in the way that only Rob ever could."

Amen to that.