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Terry Melcher Dies at 62Former Carmel Valley resident was the son of Doris Day and a prominent record producer and songwriter Staff and Wire Reports Terry Melcher, a record producer and songwriter who co-owned a Carmel hotel and aided the careers of Ry Cooder, the Byrds and the Beach Boys, has died, his publicist announced Saturday. He was 62. Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day and the late Martin Melcher, died Friday night at his Beverly Hills home after a long battle with melanoma. He lived in Carmel Valley through the 1980s and 1990s and was a co-owner of the Cypress Inn with his mother and local businessman Dennis LeVett. LeVett, who met Melcher when their children attended Santa Catalina School together, said the two had a lot of fun together in Monterey County and on family trips to Martha's Vineyard. He said Melcher was multi-talented: smart, funny and musically gifted. "Terry was a wit. I've never met a man who had a vocabulary like he had," said LeVett. "He should have been a talk-show moderator." But, LeVett said, Melcher was also shy. "It could have been that growing up with the most famous mother in the world, he had an awful lot to give and awfully high expectations," LeVett said. Both LeVett and Doris Day had attempted to purchase the inn in the past as individuals, LeVett said, but neither gained ownership until Melcher brought them together. "He was a good businessman," LeVett said. "He was on top of everything." Professionally, Melcher found acclaim in the music industry. He was a board member of the Monterey Pop Foundation and a producer of the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, one of the seminal events in rock and roll history in which stars such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding emerged onto the national scene. Melcher also co-wrote the hit song ''Kokomo'' for the Beach Boys and performed on their album ''Pet Sounds.'' The song was used in the movie ''Cocktail,'' where it garnered a Golden Globe nomination in 1988 for best original song. The Beach Boys also recorded an album at Melcher's studio in Carmel Valley. In the early 1960s, Melcher began singing as a solo act and later paired with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston to form the group Bruce & Terry. The pair had several hits, then went on to form the Rip Chords, which recorded the 1964 hit ''Hey, Little Cobra.'' In the mid-1960s, Melcher joined Columbia Records as a producer. Working with the Byrds, he produced their top-selling version of Bob Dylan's ''Mr. Tambourine Man'' and other hits, including ''Turn, Turn, Turn.'' Melcher also produced hit songs for Paul Revere and the Raiders and during his career worked with Gram Parsons, the Mamas and the Papas and Ry Cooder. He served as the executive producer of his mother's CBS show, ''The Doris Day Show,'' from 1968 to 1972 and co-produced her mid-1980s show, ''Doris Day's Best Friends.'' The show was filmed on location throughout Monterey County. Melcher also helped run his mother's charitable activities, including the Doris Day Animal Foundation. He also supported with the Boy Scouts of America and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. In 1969, his name became linked with the grisly Charles Manson murders. Melcher once rented the home where Sharon Tate and a group of her friends were murdered by Manson followers. Rumors circulated that Melcher, who knew Manson, was the real target because he had turned Manson down for a record contract. Los Angeles police discounted the rumors. Melcher had since moved to Malibu and police established that Manson knew of his new address. Melcher is survived by his mother, his wife, Terese, and his son Ryan. Funeral services will be private. |
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