Lewis Largent, who helped bring alternative rock into the American mainstream through his work at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles and MTV, died on February 20. He was 58.
His death, which came after a long illness and was first reported by Variety, was confirmed by a source close to Largent’s family, who did not give an exact cause or say where Largent died.
Raised in Southern California, Largent began his music career in the mid-1980s with an internship at KROQ, the pioneering modern rock station instrumental in breakout acts like Jane’s Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bad Religion. In 1989, he became music director of KROQ, but left just a few years later to join MTV, where in 1992 he became the host of the video channel’s Sunday night alternative music show “120 Minutes”. Among the many pioneering acts he interviewed on the show were PJ Harvey, Pavement, Björk and the Goo Goo Dolls.
In 1995, Largent handed over hosting duties to Matt Pinfield, who tweeted on Friday that he was “completely stunned” by news of Largent’s death. Largent remained with MTV as director of music programming and was later promoted to vice president of music and artist development at the influential cable network. He left MTV in 1999 to take a senior A&R position at Island Def Jam Records, where he worked with Sum 41 and former House of Pain rapper Everlast, among others. In 2004 he left the label.
According to Variety, Largent — whose next of kin include his wife, Atlantic Music Group chairman and CEO Julie Greenwald, and their two children — received a creative writing degree from Sarah Lawrence College following his career in the music industry.
Source: LA Times