By Andrew Dalton, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Movie producer, film financier, real estate heir and major Democratic political donor Steve Bing has died. He was 55.
The Los Angeles County coroner said Bing died Monday at his residence in the Century City section of Los Angeles. The coroner said Tuesday that the cause of death was suicide. Without giving a name, the city Fire Department said it responded to a report of a 55-year-old man jumping from a building at the same time and place.
Bing produced the 2000 Sylvester Stallone film "Get Carter" and was a major investor in the 2004 Tom Hanks animated film "The Polar Express." He co-wrote the 2003 comedy "Kangaroo Jack," a film starring Anthony Anderson and Jerry O'Connell that was savaged by critics but made nearly $90 million at the box office.
He was also a producer on director Martin Scorsese's 2008 Rolling Stones documentary, "Shine a Light," and a co-producer with Mick Jagger on a forthcoming documentary on Jerry Lee Lewis.
"It's so sad to hear of Steve Bing's passing," Jagger said on Twitter. "He was such a kind and generous friend and supported so many good and just causes. I will miss him very much."
Bing was the son of Peter Bing, a doctor and philanthropist who specialized in public health, and the grandson of Leo Bing, a New York real estate developer who left him hundreds of millions of dollars that he inherited when he turned 18.
In the 1980s, Steve Bing dropped out of his father's alma mater, Stanford University, where the elder Bing had donated $50 million, for a career in Hollywood. He got early credits as a co-writer for the 1984 Chuck Norris Vietnam vet movie "Missing in Action" and its two sequels. He wrote an episode of the sitcom "Married… with Children" and in 1994 wrote and directed his own small film starring Judd Nelson, "Every Breath."
Bing donated millions to the Democratic Party and its candidates, including Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi, to various charities, and to campaigns for liberal-leaning ballot initiatives in California.
"I loved Steve Bing very much," President Bill Clinton tweeted. "He had a big heart, and he was willing to do anything he could for the people and causes he believed in. I will miss him and his enthusiasm more than I can say, and I hope he's finally found peace."
Bing was an LA socialite who frequently dated famous women and was often seen on red carpets, at big-dollar benefits and courtside at Lakers games.
In his 30s, he was involved in a pair of high-profile lawsuits centering on his possible paternity of children that brought him media attention on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. A 2002 DNA test required by a British court showed that he was the father of the infant son of model and actress Elizabeth Hurley, whom he had dated.
The same year he sued movie mogul Kirk Krekorian, alleging Krekorian had hired a private detective to go through Bing's trash to obtain DNA for another paternity test, this one to determine whether Bing was the father of the daughter born to Krekorian's then-wife, tennis player Lisa Bonder. That lawsuit was settled out of court.
The two children, Damian Hurley and Kira Kerkorian, have been named in recent court fights over whether they will be heirs in the trust set up by Bing's father.
Family members of Steve Bing could not be reached.
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avidยฎ, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftechโs expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, โWolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avidโs commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.โ
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, โWe were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.โ
The closing of the acquisition follows Avidโs announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avidโs global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, โAs a customer of both Avid and Wolftech weโre excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More