Music

Music publicist resigns following sexual assault allegations

by Jesse Locke

On the night of January 18, musician Amber Coffman (best known for her work with the band Dirty Projectors) shared a story of sexual harassment from prominent music publicist Heathcliff Berru of the Los Angeles and New York-based Life or Death PR firm. She said many women had similar “scary stories” and was “tired of sketchy ass dudes and sexual predators getting a pass from their ‘bros.’ Grow a spine and hold your friends accountable.”

Other musicians have since come forward with claims against Berru, including Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, Tearist’s Yasmine Kittles, and Roxy Lange, who was 21 at the time of her harrowing assault story.

Photographer Faith Silva accused Berru of drugging women, while more stories came from Bonnarroo coordinator Martika Finch and Beth Martinez of Danger Village PR. Alec Koone of Balam Acab said he fired Berru as his manager after multiple incidents in 2012, while Judy Silverman of Motormouth Media PR shared the most damning indictment of all: “I have flat out told people privately what he did and they still hired him. That’s how women get listened to.”

Life or Death PR’s current roster includes high-profile artists such as D’Angelo, Odd Future, and politically charged rappper Killer Mike, along with Canadian acts TOPS and Calvin Love. Toronto’s Dilly Dally ended their contract with the firm in December. Several artists have swiftly severed ties in the wake of this news including Wavves, DIIV, Kelela, and Speedy Ortiz. Singer Sadie Dupuis stated “We’re thankful to the folks at Life or Death we worked with directly (not Heathcliff). But after hearing these stories we’re no longer with LoD. Wishing best to folks who worked there. They seem nauseated. But doesn’t feel personally OK to work with a company built by an attempted rapist.”

Heathcliff Berru has now announced his resignation from Life Or Death PR and released a lengthy statement via LA Weekly. He has been replaced by current Life or Death president Nick Dierl, yet it is unclear if Berru’s current role was CEO or founder/owner and whether he will still benefit financially from the firm. Read an excerpt below:

“There have been several reports about my alleged inappropriate behavior which deserve a response. I am deeply sorry for those who I have offended by my actions and how I have made certain women feel. If I crossed the line of decency or respectfulness in situations when I was drunk and under the influence, there is no excuse of course. To be clear, while my conduct may have been inappropriate, I have never drugged anyone or engaged in that type of behavior. Nevertheless, I do not want to be the type of person who would let drugs or alcohol take command of his life and compromise how he treats people. Yet I have been this person and it’s time to put a stop to all of this. Create a world with one less inappropriate man.”

While the Life Or Death PR website wegetpress.com is currently down for “maintenance”, the firm has released its own statement as well:

“Life or Death has a zero tolerance policy for the type of conduct alleged in today’s on-line postings. We take these allegations very seriously. The men and women who make up this company do not, and will not, condone or tolerate any conduct described in the on-line postings.

“Life Or Death is 3 men and 3 women who are committed to promoting art and serving the clients that we’re so privileged to represent. We are taking measures to ensure that the alleged behavior did not, and will not, make its way into company operations or impact our commitment to promoting art and assisting our clients. We are grateful to Heathcliff Berru for all the work he’s done to date and his creative vision at the company. We appreciate and support his decision to step down as CEO of Life Or Death.”

UPDATE: Killer Mike first stated that Life or Death PR is “no more” in a series of tweets while his supporting the women who shared their stories and holding his friend Berru accountable. He then clarified his position in a Facebook post:

“Now that I’ve got everything in order, let me put this out here since my tweets didn’t convey my points/actions clearly.

Yesterday a.m. I read the story about Heathcliff. I called him immediately and ended our biz relationship. I also told him how wrong he was and how disappointed and ashamed I am of his actions and that he’s gotta take whatever’s coming. I also encouraged him to work on being a better human being.

I stand in solidarity with the women that have spoke out. No one should have to feel afraid for speaking out when wronged in any manner or feel like no cares about them. This is not ok. For the sake of clarity, I had no knowledge of any of this stuff prior to the story breaking yesterday a.m.

As for publicity moving forward- RTJ has always been repped by Biz3 and I will continue to work with Duncan Will (formerly of LoD) independently. He’s done nothing but be a great publicist to me.

Another point I want to make sure that comes across- Men have to be able to tell our friends and peers when they’re wrong. We cannot just say, it’s not my problem. We can’t expect ppl to improve if we’re not willing to hold them accountable and push them to be better.

Love and Respect.