Peter Katsis, Powerhouse Manager and Co-founder of The Firm, Dies at 69

Peter Katsis, whom Vanity Fair once called "the best manager in the music business, period," died on Thursday of complications from congestive heart failure. He was 69. His death was confirmed to HITS by his son Ian.

A native of Chicago, Katsis became a partner in The Firm in 1997, working with partner and CEO Jeff Kwatinetz to develop the careers of Backstreet Boys, Korn and Limp Bizkit, turning them into arena headliners. Katsis, Kwatinetz and Rich Frank founded Prospect Park Entertainment in 2008, spending the next six years managing Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction and Ice Cube in addition to Korn and Backstreet Boys. Since 2015, Katsis continued to work with Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction while guiding Morrissey, Bush and Liz Phair to comebacks.

Born Feb. 15, 1957, Katsis attended Northern Illinois University, where he served on the concert committee. After graduation, he began his music career in 1980 by managing Ministry, then a synth-rock outfit headed by Al Jourgensen. Katsis steered Ministry toward a deal with Arista, then became an A&R executive at Trax Records, pivotal to the rise of house music. He also worked as a booking agent for Chicago house artists, landing Marshall Jefferson and Adonis gigs at such fabled venues as New York's Paradise Garage and London's Ministry of Sound.

Katsis headed to Los Angeles in 1991, spending the next few years managing an eclectic roster of artists that included psychobilly rockers The Cramps, new wavers General Public and the mellow jazz duo Tuck and Patti.

After becoming a partner in The Firm, he worked closely with Kwatinetz, setting Korn and Limp Bizkit on the trajectory that led them from clubs to arenas. He likewise developed the touring strategies that brought Backstreet Boys from arenas to stadiums. In 1999, the group’s Into the Millennium tour sold out 735,000 tickets, setting a Ticketmaster record. The tour would earn Katsis a Pollstar award for Most Creative Stage Design.

While at The Firm, Katsis helped Snoop Dogg enter arenas for the tour supporting 2008’s Ego Trippin’ and its hit "Drop It Like It's Hot," and brought 30 Seconds to Mars into arenas upon the release of its second album, 2005’s A Beautiful Lie. In 2001, Katsis played a pivotal part in launching Audioslave, the supergroup that paired Soundgarden's Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine veterans. He proved instrumental to the production of Audioslave's 2005 show in Havana, the only concert mounted by an American band during Fidel Castro's reign.

Katsis managed Smashing Pumpkins after he left Prospect Park in 2015. He specialized in bringing '90s survivors to new heights; in 2017, Morrissey tallied the strongest ticket sales of his career.

Katsis is survived by his sister, Anastastia Katsis, and his son Ian.