Jerome Moss

Jerry Moss's life was a great coming from behind story. Born Jerome Sheldon Moss to Rose and Irving Moss (5/8/1935), Jerry was the second born child, (after his brother Fred). He was raised in a modest Jewish home in the Bronx, during the Great Depression. He loved a good hot dog and Yankee Game.

After graduating from Brooklyn College and serving in the United States Army, Jerry began a storied career in the music industry. His first gig was promoting "16 Candles," a 1958 hit for the Crests on Coed Records. After moving to California in 1960, Jerry promoted artists and produced records independently, before meeting his partner Herb. Alpert & Moss launched their record label on a handshake, in a garage and from humble beginnings, each put in $100. Under Jerry's leadership, A&M was responsible for finding and signing some of the worlds most significant artists ever recorded, including; Sting/The Police, Quincy Jones, Carole King, Joe Cocker, The Carpenters, Peter Frampton, Janet Jackson, Bryan Adams, Soundgarden, Styx, and numerous others. For over 25 years, A&M grew into the largest independent record label in the world, as it championed the art of the artist.

Jerry was a committed family man who worked hard and reflected the value of hard work, as he was building his empire. Though we regularly attended services in celebration of Rosh Hashana, Passover and Yom Kippur, Jerry also loved Christmas and made each holiday, special. Finding "the golden egg" at Easter was something fun that he made a BIG deal of, growing up. Come summer, the family would sometimes travel to the South of France where he helped teach his kids to water ski and pulled them on rafts around the Mediterranean from their boat called the "Doobie Wah." He played chess with his grandchildren and taught his wife Tina and daughter to play backgammon and make his famed pasta dish. One thing you would never know about Jerry, is that all of his kids were adopted (3, with his 1st wife Helen Sandra Rusetos). He loved all of his children and relished their time together. He taught Ron and Harrison how to swim and throw a football, watched sports together as a family. And made special dates with each Jen and Daniela (just the two of them), one-on-one. Jerry treated all of his children equally and was a no-nonsense guy who said what was on his mind, but was always loving and in their eyes was their "Hero".

Jerry was old-school romantic and it was obvious how much he treasured his wife Tina. He was a true partner in every sense and exhibited the way partners should prioritize their love for their spouse above all others, while always reflecting a mutual love and respect for one another. Jerry and Tina were the love of each others lives and are very much alike in their temperaments and what's important. They loved one another in ways they both had always longed for and needed, ... spent all of their time together creating precious family memories in LA and Maui, meaningful moments and elegant parties for friends. As Jerry retired, he and Tina were able to enjoy decades worth of experiences, travel and adventure, in their 8 years together. Most recently, he and his wife Tina and the Moss Foundation made a historic $25 million gift to the Music Center to help support the cultivation of strong arts and culture-focused partnerships and new programming initiatives at the county's performing arts center.

Jerry was a dedicated philanthropist, particularly in the Los Angeles community in the areas of the arts, education and healthcare. In 2004, he established the Moss Scholars program at UCLA, which has since provided full scholarships to dozens of graduate and undergraduate students in art, architecture and music.
In the area of healthcare at UCLA, Jerry endowed the Moss Foundation Chair in Gastrointestinal and Personalized Surgery and supported the Voice Center for Medicine and Department of Neurosurgery. He was a major donor to California CareForce, providing no-cost treatment and healthcare clinics throughout California. A longtime annual supporter of numerous organizations, including the Geffen Playhouse (of which he was a Founding Trustee), ACLU, the Exceptional Children's Foundation, the Hammer Museum, KCRW, Painted Turtle Camp, People for the American Way and Young Eisner Scholars.

At the same time, Jerry was an avid Art Collector with works from Picasso, Basquiat, Delvaux, Jawlensky, Leger, De Lempicka, Magritte, Warhol among others. He also had a hugely successful career in thoroughbred racing and breeding. Some of his most interesting wins included the 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, and the 2010 American Horse of the Year Zenyatta (with his former wife, Ann Holbrook by his side).

As he created a legacy in philanthropy, art, music, and the horse racing industry, he did so with class and honesty. For all of his accomplishments, Jerry never forgot his humble beginnings and throughout his life embraced and supported others in their come from behind stories, … giving to family, extended family, people who worked for him and strangers. He earned his reputation as an overly generous tipper, which made him a favorite visitor in the various restaurants he frequented over the years. Always gently helping others towards a better shot at life. Time and again, we'd all run into people who would tell us how they appreciated Jerry, impressed in equal parts by his legacy and who he was as a person.

Jerry was handsome and a man of the people, with wit and charm that made him approachable and relatable to everyone he encountered. He spoke eloquently and poetically, and though he did not need to say a lot to command the attention in the room, we all indulged in hearing his thoughts, memories and ideas. We respected him for his accomplishments, but adored him for his kindness. Jerry was a strong, genuine, intelligent, resilient, and hilariously funny, man. He had a sense of humor that would surprise people when they were taking themselves too seriously, or being too dramatic.

Our, husband, father, grandfather/great grandfather and friend died peacefully (at age 88), on August 15th 2023 at home in Bel Air, CA. Jerry was surrounded by family and friends who will forever love and cherish their time and memories of him. They truly don't make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun, …and the twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure.

With Love,
Tina, Ron, Jennifer, Harrison, Daniela and all of his extended family

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to OldFriendsEquine.org