Ahmet Ertegun, the famed pioneering co-founder of Atlantic Records,
is in a coma after sustaining a serious injury to his brain after a fall. Ertegun,
83, lapsed into a deep coma after he fell on Oct. 29 while attending a Rolling
Stones concert. Ertegun is currently on life support at Weill Cornell Medical
Center in New York.

Ertegun founded Atlantic Records with Herb Abramson in 1947 with just $10,000.
Ertegun, along with his brother Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, helped revolutionize
popular music by releasing legendary artists like Ruth Brown, Ray Charles,
Eric Clapton, Otis Redding, Joe Turner, Led Zepplin, John Coltrane, The Coasters,
Aretha Franklin and numerous others.

The label is now owned by Warner Music Group. Atlantic has recorded and released
numerous rappers over the years, like 2Pac, Lil’ Kim, Junior M.A.F.I.A.,
Sean "Diddy" Combs, T.I., Juvenile, Sean Paul and others.

Ertegun’s influence was felt in early Hip-Hop as well, notes Ruthless Records
cofounder Jerry Heller. Heller credited Ertegun as being responsible
for the Ruthless Records release of J.J. Fad’s single and album "Supersonic,"
the first Hip-Hop album to sell gold for any label in the Warner Music Group
fold. "Ahmet has brought integrity, vision, style and class to the music
business," Heller said in a statement. "A giant among mere mortals.
His presence will be sorely missed by those of us who had the privilege of knowing
him."