Former Paramount CEO Brad Grey Dies at 59

In addition to running Paramount for twelve years, Grey helped transform Brillstein-Grey Entertainment into one of Hollywood's most successful management and production companies, playing a key role in the development of "The Sopranos" and "The Larry Sanders Show." He also co-founded Plan B Entertainment with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston. He was forced out at Paramount in February in the wake of several film flops.

Grey, a shrewd operator who alternately stroked and clashed with Hollywood's key power brokers, had a tumultuous tenure at Paramount. He was credited with maintaining strong relationships with Pitt and Martin Scorsese, as well as overseeing the successful "Transformers" and "Mission: Impossible" series. However, he was faulted for failing to turn Paramount into a destination for top talent and for being unable to replenish its lineup of film franchises. As Grey and his team struggled to keep reinvigorate their lineup, Paramount's market share plummeted. The company finished behind all of the five other major Hollywood studios in each of the last five calendar years.

His time at the top coincided with a bruising power struggle at its corporate parent Viacom that pitted former chairman Philippe Dauman, a key ally of Grey's, against Shari Redstone, whose family holds a controlling stake in the media conglomerate.

Grey is survived by his wife Cassandra Grey, their son Jules, his three grown children Sam, Max and Emily from his marriage to Jill (nee Gutterson) Grey, his mother Barbara Schumsky, his brother Michael Grey and his sister Robin Grey.

There will be a small private funeral service later this week. A memorial service will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC.