Marc Nathan has died. In a statement to Billboard, a rep for the promotion and A&R executive recently died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He was 70.
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Nathan’s rep noted that his client had “been ill for some time and he finally succumbed to a variety of afflictions,” the outlet report.
Per the outlet, Nathan was instrumental in getting bands including Barenaked Ladies and 3 Doors Down record deals in his five decade-plus career.
Steven Page, a founding member and former frontman of Barenaked Ladies, paid tribute to Nathan on Facebook. According to Page’s post, Nathan died on April 9 after suffering from “an almost uncountable number of health struggles” over their 34-year friendship.
“Each time he pulled through, sometimes against all odds,” Pagge wrote. “I think I just assumed he’d do the same this time, too. It’s going to take some time to let it sink in that he’s no longer with us.”
Steven Page Remembers Marc Nathan
Page described Nathan as “absolutely passionately obsessed with music,” adding that he had “an encyclopedic memory for songs, charts and artists.”
Page went on to discuss Nathan’s career, which began when he worked for Todd Rundgren as a teenager. In 1991, Page wrote, Nathan “played a huge role in my career and in my life” when he “fell head over heels in love” with Barenaked Ladies.
“Marc was a guy who loved big, emotional music and also too-smart-for-its-own-good pop, and had a huge soft spot for silly novelty songs too,” Page wrote. “We kind of fit the bill perfectly for him and he got us. Marc took our demo tape to Seymour Stein at Sire records, and, thankfully, Seymour got it.”
Years later, Page wrote that he remains “eternally grateful” for Nathan’s role in getting his band a record deal. Then, in 2005, Nathan started to own record label to release Page’s solo record.
“The record didn’t become the hit that we both hoped it would be, and I think he lost a lot of money on it,” Page wrote. “He took a huge risk because he believed in me and my music, when so many others wouldn’t. It’s a record we both remained proud of.”
Steven Page Praises Marc Nathan
Next, when Page’s life “started to take a dramatic turn” in 2008, Nathan “was among the first and most persistent of my friends to lend me support, advice, and solidarity.”
“He could be a noodge, but that’s only because he had a huge heart and he really, really cared,” Page wrote. “There were many, many people in his life that he would counsel and coach and cajole and mentor through their darkest hours – he’d been there and back several times himself – and I’m proud and grateful to be one of those friends.”
Page went on to recall how Nathan supported virtual concerts amid the COVID-19 pandemic, using data and research to attract people to the show.
“He was a wizard, a true wonk when it came to data and research, whether it was about record sales, charts, radio play, or livestreamed concerts,” Page wrote.
The men bonded over food and Wordle, even texting daily about the New York Times game for years.
“Two weeks ago, he stopped responding, after five years of almost-daily contact,” Page wrote. “I knew he was in the hospital, and when the texts stopped saying ‘delivered,’ I knew things had taken a turn. But I wasn’t ready for him to not pull through. That was unlike Marc. He was always there for me – a survivor. I’m lucky to have known him.”
Photo by Steven Page via Facebook
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