Jacqueline Avant, the wife of acclaimed music executive Clarence Avant, was killed in a home invasion attempt on Tuesday night. 

She was 81.

According to TMZ, the deadly incident occurred at the couple’s residence in Trousdale Estates, an affluent neighborhood near Beverly Hills. 

Producer Clarence Avant and wife, Jackie, arrive at The Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theater on February 9, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The site is reporting that the Beverly Hills Police Department received a call at 2:30 a.m. about a home invasion, and the caller stated that someone had been shot. When the police arrived, Mrs. Avant had already been rushed to a nearby hospital. 

Sources have said that Mr. Avant was also home at the time of the incident, but it is unclear if he was injured. 

The Avants were married for 54 years and have two children, Nicole and Alexander. Nicole Avant is the former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas, and is married to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. 

Jackie Avant served as the president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group focused on child care in that underserved community. She was also on the board of directors of UCLA’s International Student Center, according to TMZ. 

Clarence Avant has been lauded as one of the most influential music men of the modern age, having paved roads as an artist manager, recording company founder-executive, broadcast executive, and more. He was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as an Ahmet Ertegun Award honoree, a prize given to non-performing industry professionals beholden for their transformative impact on the creative development of the genre’s culture.

The Black Godfather, an acclaimed documentary about Avant’s life and career directed by Reginald Hudlin, premiered in June 2019 on Netflix, and was produced by Avant’s daughter. It features appearances from Barack Obama, Quincy Jones, L.A. Reid, Snoop Dogg, and a host of others.  

Tributes to Mrs. Avant have started to pour in on social media. Veteran journalist Donna Brazile wrote on Twitter, “Loved Ms Jackie. Sending love to the Avant family. If you love music, you know why this is really painful. Much love.”

Political strategist Jasmine Cannick shared: “Absolutely stunned at this news this morning. Another day in L.A., another tragic and senseless killing.”

Experts are stumped as to why violent crime incidents have increased in Los Angeles this year, with gun-violence homicides up nearly 30%.

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