The wife of a music industry executive has been found shot to death in her Los Angeles home. Her husband was arrested by Beverly Hills police and the couple’s children were safe at another location when the shooting occurred.
(CBSLA) — BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) — Jacqueline Avant, the wife of music mogul Clarence Avant, was fatally shot in a home invasion in Beverly Hills on Wednesday.
(Photo courtesy of CBS)
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A gunshot was reported at 2:23 a.m. Wednesday in the 1100 block of Maytor Place, according to Beverly Hills police. Officers discovered a lady with a gunshot wound and no suspects at the site when they arrived.
JANUARY 25, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: (L-R) On January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California, Jacqueline Avant and Clarence Avant attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean “Diddy” Combs. (Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez for The Recording Academy)
The lady was rushed to the hospital, but she died. Beverly Hills police Chief Mark Stainbrook verified the lady deceased was 81-year-old Jacqueline Avant during a press conference this afternoon.
“The Avant family’s contributions to the entertainment industry and to the betterment of Los Angeles neighborhoods are unparalleled,” Stainbrook remarked. He said that the agency has reached out to the family and is giving its assistance and services.
Avant was the mother-in-law of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and the wife of Clarence Avant, a 90-year-old music businessman. Clarence Avant, the “Godfather of Black Music” who collaborated with Louis Armstrong, the SOS Band, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Babyface, was not hurt in the incident.
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On behalf of the Avant family, Stainbrook said he was requested to thank everyone for their offers of support and sorrow.
“Jacqueline was an incredible lady, a wife, mother, philanthropist, and a 55-year Beverly Hills resident who had an incalculable, positive contribution and influence on the arts community.” Stainbrook read from the Avant family’s statement, “She will be missed by her family, friends, and all of the individuals she has assisted throughout her great life.”
The Avants had been married for 54 years before they died. Danny Bakewell Sr., proprietor of the Black daily the Los Angeles Sentinell, says he has known the Avant family for a long time and is “overwhelmed” by the death of such a lovely person.
“It’s inconceivable that she was slain in such a horrible manner. Clarence and Jackie are the kindest and most giving people I’ve ever met, and for their house and life to be defiled in such a brutal way is unacceptable,” he added in a statement.
Homicide detectives are on the scene at the property, which is situated between Coldwater Canyon and Laurel Canyon Boulevards in the Hollywood Hills.
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It’s unclear whether the Avants were victims of a follow-home robbery, which has been on the upswing in the neighborhood and caused the Los Angeles Police Department to issue a notice last month. A number of celebrities have been involved, including Terrence J, the TV personality, and Dorit Kemsley, the “Real Housewife.”
