Allan Rinde RIP

ALLAN RINDE, former publicist, West Coast Editor of Cashbox, head of West Coast A&R at Columbia, where he was behind Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” and the man who helped break the Jesus Christ Superstar album, died on Friday (12/14) from a heart attack. Rinde was probably best-known as the owner of L.A.’s Genghis Cohen restaurant on Fairfax, which became a live showcase for many acts and a celebrity hangout over the years frequented by the likes of Barbra Streisand and Bruce Willis, looking for old-school East Coast Chinese food. There will be a memorial bash for him at the eatery, which he sold several years ago. (12/17p)