Ronald Steven Altbach

Ronald Steven Altbach, born on December 24, 1946, passed away unexpectedly on February 21, 2023, in New York City. The cause of death was complications of pneumonia.

Ron was a man of diverse talents and accomplishments, known to many as the essence of a true Renaissance Man who possessed a broad range of knowledge, skills and talents and excelled in multiple fields.

The "Professor," as he was known to some friends, was a world traveler, maintaining residences in New York City, Villefranche-sur-Mer in Southern France and, his childhood home in Olcott, New York. He was an unparalleled concert pianist, a capital markets executive, a bonafide entrepreneur, and co-creator of King Harvest, the band that produced and performed the perennial hit "Dancing in the Moonlight" in 1973. He was also a session pianist for the Beach Boys and co-wrote several songs with them. His contributions to the Beach Boys include co-producing the M.I.U. Album (1978) and co-writing songs such as "Belles of Paris," "She's Got Rhythm," and "Alone on Christmas Day." Ron was also a member of Celebration, a group led by Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love.

As a co-founder of the publicly held Los Angeles-based Mediacom Filmworks in 1983, he served as Executive Producer of multiple feature films and television specials. He was a principal in, and Vice Chairman of, Manhattan-based Rosecliff Capital in the 1990s and served as Chairman of Paul Sebastian fragrances, a Rosecliff portfolio company. In 2008 he co-founded Regeneration Capital Group, an international merchant banking operation based in New York. In 2017, Ron was a founding shareholder and board member of Smart for Life, a Nasdaq-listed company in the Health & Wellness sector. Most recently, Ron was a principal in MPS Infrastructure, developing a number of national infrastructure water and power systems in the Middle East and South Africa.

Born in Olcott, New York, Ron graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Music. He studied classical piano in Paris with the renowned pianist Nadia Boulanger during the daytime and performed with ex-pat friends as King Harvest and others at night. He was an avid sailor who enjoyed spending time on the water. He was a lifelong practitioner and teacher of Transcendental Meditation.

Ron was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Walter Altbach, born Jan 5, 1913, and died April 20,1991, and his mother Emma Kusznier Altbach, a lawyer, born March 30, 1916, and died Jan 11, 1997. His parents, of Vienna, Austria, narrowly escaped Nazi Germany following Kristallnacht in 1938, arriving in New York City and traveling to upstate New York to practice medicine and raise their family. He lost multiple family members in the Holocaust.

Ron leaves behind an incredibly large circle of friends from all walks of life but, most importantly, his beloved wife Elka, his partner since 1987. He also leaves behind his daughter Zara, son Mischa, and three grandchildren along with brother Gerald Altbach and sister Susann Altbach. Ron was a devoted family man and cherished spending time with his loved ones.

Throughout his life he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence in all that he did. Ron was a true inspiration to those who knew him and worked alongside him. He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity and the impact he made in the music industry, finance world, and beyond. His legacy will continue to live on through the music he created and the people whose lives he touched.

Ron is deeply missed.