Famed showbiz and football agent Eric Hall dies aged 73
Known for a trademark cigar and regular use of Yiddish words, he made deals on behalf of household names Dennis Wise, Tim Sherwood and Neil Ruddock.
Eric Hall, the former showbiz and football agent, has died aged 73 after a short illness.
Hall made his entry into the music business as a tea-boy alongside a young Elton John, and would later go on to represent some of the Premier League’s biggest names in the 1990s.
His death was announced by the radio station where he worked, Time 107.5FM.
Famed for a trademark cigar, ‘Monster monster’ catchphrase and regular use of Yiddish words, he made deals on behalf of household names Dennis Wise, Tim Sherwood and Neil Ruddock.
Tributes to Hall have been paid by Sir Alan Sugar, who called him a “real character”, while Stan Collymore tweeted: “Larger than life, great great fun, sad to think Eric Hall has passed.”
After giving up acting school at 15, Hall went on to promote records for stars like Frank Sinatra, the Bay City Rollers and Clive Dunn – of Grandad fame – and claimed to have launched the careers of Queen and Cockney Rebel.
When the Sex Pistols sparked fury with their infamous four-letter outburst at TV presenter Bill Grundy in 1976, Hall was the agent who booked them onto the programme.
He moved into football in 1986, after a chance meeting with Tottenham’s Steve Perryman when in a nightclub with friend Terry Venables.
Six years later and the establishment of the cash-rich Premier League helped elevate the stock of players represented by Hall and others in the business.
He became critically ill with the E.Coli bug and septicaemia in 1997 but recovered and spent his later years on the airwaves, hosting a show on independent station Time 107.5FM.
Station manager Lorna Waters said: “We were incredibly lucky to have Eric here as part of our team for almost seven years.
“He amazed us with the calibre of guests he would invite onto his show and his knowledge of music was undoubtedly second to none.
“He has brought a lot of joy to many people with his radio shows over the years and Sunday afternoons will never be the same.
“Personally, I will miss his weekly phone calls checking in that his show was still getting good ratings and discussing his fan base. He was a true legend and a real gentleman who touched my life in many ways.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
