Veteran music publicist Patti Webster, whose W&W Public Relations has handled PR duties for such artists as Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Bow Wow and Usher, among others, died in Somerville, N.J., her family announced the morning of Sept. 13. She was 49, a three-time cancer survivor (ovarian, lung and brain) and had been battling a prolonged illness for several years.
Webster founded W&W in 1991 and amassed an impressive stable of sports, entertainment and corporate clients, including Halle Berry, the BMI Urban Awards, Chris Carter, Creflo Dollar Ministries, eOne Music, Anthony Hamilton, Steve Harvey, Patti LaBelle, Ludacris, Mary Mary, Holly Robinson Peete, the estate of Otis Redding, Kelly Rowland, BeBe and CeCe Winans and So So Def Recordings.
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Prior to launching her own firm, Webster had worked in the New York office of Rogers & Cowan for three years, representing the likes of Quincy Jones’ Qwest Records, Stevie Wonder, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross, Paula Abdul, Celine Dion and B.B. King.
According to a statement, Webster was a deaconess at Shiloh Pentecostal Church in Somerville, N.J., and an ordained minister. A published author, Webster wrote a book sharing humorous and uplifting stories from church called It Happened in Church: Stories of Humor From the Pulpit to the Pews, which was released in 2008.
Webster also served as a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), on the boards of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and the TReach (Therapies Reaching & Educating Autistic Children) Foundation and as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Marketing Mavericks team. In 2008, Webster was presented with Ebony magazine’s Ebony Communications Award of Excellence for her work in public relations and entertainment.
Twitter: @THR
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