Sidney Sheinberg, Longtime Studio Head, Dead at 84

LOS ANGELES, CA — Sidney Sheinberg, who served as president and chief operating officer of MCA and Universal Studios for more than 40 years, has died at the age of 84.

His son, producer-director Jon Sheinberg, announced the passing of his father in an Instagram post, but did not reveal a cause of death.

"Sadly my dad (Sid Sheinberg) died...He was an amazing man and will be missed very much," Sheinberg said. "We loved him tremendously and will forever miss him."

In 1973, Sheinberg brought famed director Steven Spielberg to Universal, who directed the three highest-grossing films of the last three decades of the 20th century: "Jaws," "E.T." and "Jurassic Park."

"My heart is broken at this news," Spielberg said in a statement. "For now let me just say that Sid had a big personality and a tender heart. He was the tallest, most stand-up guy I ever knew."

Spielberg credited Sheinberg with giving birth to his career and for making Universal his home.

"He gave me Jaws, I gave him E.T. and he gave me Schindler's List," Spielberg said."We were a team for 25 years and he was my dear friend for 50. I have no concept about how to accept that Sid is gone. For the rest of my life, I will owe him more than I can express."

Sheinberg was married to actress Lorraine Gary for 52 years. They had two sons.

City News Service