33-year Billboard Veteran Ron Willman Dies He Pioneered Magazine's Home Video Entry, Artist...

NEW YORK--Ron Willman, a fixture at Billboard for 33 years and a widely respected figure in the music and home video industries, died of heart failure Feb. 16 at his home in Plainview, N.Y. He was 63.
Willman was a robust, commanding figure, whose booming voice was rivaled in intensity only by his dedication to Billboard. Through his years at Billboard, he contributed significantly to the magazine's growth and became a mentor for several generations of Billboard sales staffers. At the time of his retirement last March, he had the longest tenure of anyone at Billboard.
"Ron's long tenure at Billboard and his devotion to the magazine are heartwarming, and he made many valuable contributions to the publication," says Howard Lander, Billboard Music Group president and publisher. "He was a pioneer in leading Billboard into the home video age and as head of directory operations. In my 25 years with the company, I came to know Ron well and have many fond memories of him."
Willman began his career at Billboard in 1964 as an account executive. In the ensuing years he held numerous sales management positions, including consumer electronics sales manager, Eastern sales manager, and national sales manager.
In the late '70s, Willman recognized an opportunity and was the first to recommend Billboard's entry into the home video business. By 1981, he was named director of sales, video and sound business, and for much of the decade helped carve out Billboard's lasting profile in the video field.
Home video veteran Bob DeLellis, now a partner in Westlake, Calif.-based consultancy D&B New Concepts Inc. and the Quintessentials retail operation, says, "Ron not only was a great pioneer in the video business, he also was a personal friend. The industry will miss him dearly."
Willman also was instrumental in many of Billboard's prestigious artist salutes, working tirelessly on tributes to musical giants like Frank Sinatra in 1965 and Tony Bennett in '68.
Willman later became director of sales for Billboard's directories and in 1988 was appointed directories publisher. In this role, Willman was responsible for launching the Record Retailing Directory, now in its seventh edition. Willman took great pride in having reached the level of publisher; under his leadership Billboard's seven directories enjoyed a period of steady growth and increasing excel-