In 1983, Mr. Stein was part of a group of music and media executives that created the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, and in 2005 he was inducted into the hall as a nonperformer.
In the 1980s, he coaxed new albums from aging rock legends. He signed Brian Wilson for his first solo album, and Lou Reed for “New York,” the 1989 album that reestablished Reed’s credentials as a cold-eyed commentator on urban life. In later years, Mr. Stein remained at Warner Music, while the Sire imprint shuffled between divisions and was inactive for a time. He retired in 2018.
Mr. Stein is survived by his daughter Mandy, a filmmaker whose projects have included a documentary about CBGB; a sister, Ann Wiederkehr; and three grandchildren. His marriage to Linda Stein ended in divorce. She became an elite real estate agent in New York, and in 2007 she was killed by her assistant, who was sentenced to 25 years to life for second-degree murder.
His daughter Samantha Jacobs died of brain cancer in 2013.
In his memoir, Mr. Stein discussed his sexuality, including his attraction to men and the gay subculture that permeated the entertainment world, particularly in London. “I somehow knew we’d make a rock-and-roll king-and-queen combo,” he wrote of his marriage to Linda, “even if the roles were a little confused.”
Mr. Stein became a noted collector of art and antiques, which he often acquired while on scouting trips for new music. “The Siren,” a painting by the Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse that Mr. Stein had owned for more than 30 years, was sold at Sotheby’s in London in 2018 for about $5 million.
But Mr. Stein always maintained that the business of music was his true calling.
“When I first got hired at Billboard, I went home and told my mother. I said, ‘Ma, they actually pay me!’” Mr. Stein told Rolling Stone in 1986, the year that Madonna’s album “True Blue” went to No. 1.
“I just love music and love this business,” he added. “And you know what? I still don’t believe I get paid for it.”
