Larry Vallon, L.A. concert executive behind the Universal Amphitheatre, dies at 77

Larry Vallon, the longtime concert executive for AEG and others who turned the Universal Amphitheatre into a regional powerhouse, has died. He was 77.

A representative for AEG confirmed Vallon’s death on July 14 due to complications from Alzheimer’s.

Vallon’s career in concert promotion spanned five decades, beginning with a stint as a page on Bob Eubanks’ “The Newlywed Game.” He went on to work for promoters like Wolf and Rissmiller Concerts and founded his own firm, Larry Vallon Presents.

He spent 23 years at the firm that became Universal Concerts (and later House Of Blues Concerts), where he worked under longtime mentor and Hollywood mogul Lew Wasserman. He booked shows for A-list acts including the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and the Who, and won Pollstar’s Talent Buyer of the Year award four times.

Locally, Vallon renovated and ran the former Universal Amphitheatre in the late ’80s, making it into a globally recognizable venue for acts like Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt, who each had residencies there. Under Vallon, the venue was a popular site throughout the ’90s for acts like Maná, Juanes and Julio Iglesias (who played an 18-date run there), helping to seed the growth of Latin and Spanish-language music in the U.S.

Vallon moved to AEG in 2004, and spent 15 years at the company before retiring in 2019. While at Universal in 1984, Vallon had hired future AEG Presents Chief Executive Jay Marciano, who told Hits Daily Double, “He was a friend, mentor and the big brother I never had, the most positive person I have ever known, and he could really make me laugh. My life is so much better from having known him. Loved that man.”

Vallon is survived by his wife, Claudia; daughters Vanessa Vallon and Kelly Vallon Ciccotti; and son-in-law Matt Ciccotti.