David Geffen has issued a statement to HITS following the death of his longtime record-label associate, Eddie Rosenblatt, who died earlier this week at the age of 89.

“Eddie was a brilliant business partner who helped usher some of the most influential artists in music across generations and genres,” Geffen wrote via email. “I have often said my talent was seeing talent in others and Eddie is the best example of that. He was a great man and dear friend who will be missed.”

Geffen named Rosenblatt president of Geffen when he founded his namesake label in 1980. The two first got to know each other in the '70s when Geffen was managing Joni Mitchell and Rosenblatt was working in the sales and marketing department at Warner Brothers Records.

Together, the pair presided over one of the most successful label launches in the modern era, releasing albums by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Don Henley, Cher, Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith. Later, via imprint DGC, they introduced the wider world to alternative stars such as Sonic Youth, Beck, Hole and Nirvana, among others.

Geffen and Rosenblatt worked side by side until the former left to co-found DreamWorks SKG in 1995.