Claire Rothman, Legendary Los Angeles Forum General Manager, Dies at 97
Claire Rothman, a trailblazer in the live entertainment industry, passed away at the age of 97 in Las Vegas on November 22, 2023. Known for her groundbreaking roles, including president and general manager of The Forum in Inglewood, California, Rothman was a formidable force in a male-dominated field. Her legacy is marked by her innovative approaches to venue management and her unwavering dedication to creating memorable experiences for fans, teams, and artists alike. Irving Azoff, chairman and CEO of the Azoff Group, hailed her as a unique figure in the industry, stating, “There has never been, nor will there be anyone like her.”
Rothman’s career began in 1967 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, where she quickly transformed the struggling venue into a thriving hub for entertainment. After leading the Spectrum out of bankruptcy within five years, she caught the attention of Jack Kent Cooke, the then-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, who brought her to The Forum in 1975. Rothman was pivotal during the Lakers’ “Showtime” era, which saw the team win five championships and solidify its place in NBA history. Jeanie Buss, the current controlling owner of the Lakers, praised Rothman for her tenacity and creativity, noting that she was instrumental in making The Forum a premier destination for concerts and events, rivaling New York’s Madison Square Garden. Rothman’s bold and unyielding approach to booking talent, including a memorable six-night run with Prince in 1985, showcased her ability to not just compete but excel in the industry.
Beyond her role at The Forum, Rothman’s influence extended to various organizations, including her tenure at Ticketmaster as executive vice president. She served on numerous boards, contributing to the broader cultural landscape of Los Angeles. Rothman’s story is one of resilience and ambition, as she navigated the challenges of her career while advocating for women in the entertainment sector. Her impact is felt not only through her professional achievements but also through the generations of women she inspired to pursue careers in live entertainment. Rothman is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to inspire future leaders in the industry.
Claire Rothman
, a pioneering woman in the live entertainment industry whose positions included president and general manager of The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., died Saturday (Nov. 22) in Las Vegas. She was 97.
“Claire Rothman for many decades invented how to run a building for fans, teams and bands,” Azoff Group chairman/CEO
Irving Azoff,
told
Billboard
. “There has never been, nor will there be anyone like her. She was a great friend to so many of us.”
Rothman began her facilities career at the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 1967, when she was 39. In a 2018
Billboard
roundtable with other women
who broke barriers in live entertainment, she said, “It was the time when the National Hockey League expanded from six to 12 teams and a lot of new venues came up. The Spectrum was one. Two weeks after I took the job, it filed for bankruptcy. I was newly divorced, with one kid in college and one in high school. I thought, ‘Oh, God, what did I do?’ But in five years, we brought the Spectrum out of bankruptcy. We paid 100 cents on the dollar, and I wrote out every check. We formed one of the first partnerships with Electric Factory Concerts. We provided the building, they provided the acts.”
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Rothman was hired by then-Lakers owner
Jack Kent Cooke
to come to the Forum seven years later, in 1975, after stints at Wild Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., and the Cleveland Coliseum. She’s credited with introducing Cooke to
Jerry Buss,
who at that time owned a tennis franchise, the Los Angeles Strings, which she hoped to bring to the Forum, according to
Men’s Health
. In 1979, Buss bought the Lakers, which played at the Forum until 1999.
Buss’ daughter Jeanie, who is the controlling owner of the Lakers, paid tribute to Rothman Sunday night (Nov. 23),
telling the
Los Angeles Times
, “Claire paved the way for women working in live entertainment. She was tenacious, creative and indomitable. My father always described her as the MVP who championed the Fabulous Forum as the West Coast concert rival to the legendary Madison Square Garden.”
Earlier today, the Lakers
posted a photo
of Rothman and
Jeanie Buss
on its Instagram with the caption, “Remembering an icon: Claire Rothman, the pioneering President of the Forum during the Showtime era.” The photo was taken in 2018, and Buss subsequently posted it on her social media, writing, “I was blessed with this amazing woman as my mentor, Claire Rothman. She has been there for me at every crossroads and hurdle placed before me. I don’t tell her enough of how grateful I am. Thank you Claire! I love you.”
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During her early tenure at the Forum, Rothman was the only woman managing a venue that included an NBA (the Los Angeles Lakers) and NHL (Los Angeles Kings) franchise while also juggling concerts, circuses and other entertainment.
“So I
was
a curiosity. Everybody remembered my name because I was the only one,” she told
Billboard
. “I was very fortunate to work for men who had good relationships with their mothers and their wives. They were sure of their masculinity. Every man I ever worked for pushed me [to succeed]. A psychologist friend of mine said the reason they were supportive was I never gave them the feeling that I wanted their jobs — because I didn’t. I had ambition, but I wanted to do it myself.”
Rothman helped oversee a golden time for the Lakers, known as the Showtime era, that started in 1979 as players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar helped the team dominate and win five championships over 10 years. That period was captured in the 2022-2023 HBO drama
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty
. Rothman was portrayed by Gaby Hoffman in the series.
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Rothman also heightened the Forum’s appeal as a must-stop for concerts, including by bringing
Prince
to the venue for a six-night run in 1985, and was bold and unrelenting when it came to pursuing talent. A
1
985
Los Angeles Times
profile
on Rothman recounted her asking Barry Manilow to play the arena in front of rival promoters, the Nederlanders, who were also pursuing the singer. “When Manilow half-jokingly asked why she would make a pitch in front of the competition, Rothman replied, ‘I’m cuter,’” the
Los Angeles
Times
reported.
Longtime booking agent Marsha Vlasic remembers working with Rothman shortly after she took over the Forum “I met Claire Rothman at the Forum when I was doing a Mott show,” Vlasic says, of the 1975 concert featuring a post-Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs version of Mott the Hoople.”She was so classy and people respected and always referred to her when discussing the Forum! She had to be one of the rare females in the venue world.”
Rothman left the Forum in 1995, moving to Ticketmaster, where she was executive vp until 1999. She also served on a number of boards, including City of Hope, the Music Center of Los Angeles County and the Reprise Theater Company, according to her LinkedIn page.
Survivors include a son, daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to the
Los Angeles Times
.
