Legendary producer Jerry Weintraub dies aged 77

Jerry Weintraub, the dynamic producer and manager who pushed the career of John Denver and produced such hit movies as Nashville and Ocean’s Eleven, has died. He was 77.

One of the last of the classic Hollywood showmen, Jerry Weintraub built his show business empire on a Rolodex and chutzpah.

The Brooklyn-born son of a New York Bronx jeweller, Weintraub rose from the post room of a talent agency to become a top concert promoter before shifting into a decades-long career as a top Hollywood producer.