BET still plans a miniseries on the life of Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell, despite the music mogul’s death.
In December, BET ordered a three-part miniseries titled Uptown about the founding of the label. After Harrell, 59, passed away on Thursday night from heart failure, the network issued a statement saying it remains committed to the project.
“We are mourning the loss of a cultural icon, Andre Harrell, a chief architect of the modern hip-hop and R&B sound,” BET president Scott Mills said in a statement to the media.
“Andre was tremendously excited about sharing the origin story of Uptown Records, and its pivotal role in the urban music landscape,” the statement continued. “With his tragic passing, BET is committed to ensuring that the Uptown limited series event tells both the Uptown story and Andre’s story — that of the incredible music innovator, man and friend to so many.”
Harrell launched Uptown Records in 1986, and signed such classic R&B and hip-hop artists as Al B. Sure, Guy, and the late Heavy D. He hired Sean “Diddy” Combs as an intern. He eventually promoted Combs to talent manager of the label, but the two later had a falling out and Combs was fired.
The two later settled their differences and Harrell most recently worked as an executive at Revolt music channel, which Combs founded.
Harrell had signed on to executive produce the miniseries with Jesse Collins of Jesse Collins Entertainment, the same production company behind BET’s The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story.
A Saturday post on the Jesse Collins Entertainment Instagram page said Harrell was closely involved with the script for his life story. He spoke with Collins the day before his death and said, “We gotta get the ending right.”
The Andre Harrell miniseries had been planned for later this year but production was previously delayed because of the industry-wide coronavirus shutdown that began in March.
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
