Another Hollywood Death: Ronni Chasen

Longtime Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen was fatally shot while driving in Beverly Hills, California.


From her days of being the unit publicist on The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover to her being linked to Ridley Scott's composer's work, Ms. Chasen has been on an interesting journey during her intriguing life.

Ronni Chasen, 64, a longtime Hollywood publicist, has been identified as the Mercedes Benz driver who was fatally shot in Beverly Hills early Tuesday morning, November 16, 2010, Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Ed Winter said.

Police are still searching for the shooter.

Chasen has represented such entertainment luminaries as the late actress Natalie Wood, composer Hans Zimmer, and movie producers Dick Zanuck and Irwin Winkler.

Authorities said they arrived at Sunset Boulevard and Whittier Drive about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and found the Mercedes-Benz E350 crashed into a light pole. Chasen had been shot multiple times in the chest. No one else was in the car.

No one could be reached for comment at her Beverly Hills public relations and marketing firm, Chasen & Co.


She had been promoting Michael Douglas for Best Supporting Actor for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, as well as Alice In Wonderland 3D for Best Picture, according to Deadline Hollywood.

Publicist Ronnie Chasen, seen below with fellow publicist Peter Bloch (L), as they arrive at the 46th Annual ICG Publicists awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 18, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.

Two sources, who spoke to The LA Times on the condition that they not be named, said Chasen attended the premiere of the Cher movie Burlesque as well as a party after the screening. The premiere was at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and the party was at the W hotel in Hollywood. She lived in Westwood and may have been driving home when the attack occurred.

Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman, who worked with Chasen on a number of projects, described her as “a lady and a grown-up” in an industry of flash and impermanence.

“She had been doing this forever. She had a lot of class, a lot of style and a lot of intelligence. She was just very very well-respected,” Bragman said.


The homicide is the third of the year in Beverly Hills. The City had no homicides in 2009.

Diane Newlander, 73, was found dead in her home in the 400 block of South Swall Drive May 4, a victim of an apparent murder-suicide.

Katsutoshi Tony Takazato was fatally stabbed July 20, allegedly by the boyfriend of a former girlfriend.

Takazato was found dead outside his home in the 1800 block of Carla Ridge in the exclusive Trousdale Estates area. Scott Joseph Barker has pleaded not guilty in the case.


As of late Tuesday, authorities said:  

...they have no immediate motive for the slaying.

Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Lincoln Hoshino said detectives are pursuing all possibilities, including any links to her business or personal life. They are also looking into whether the shooting was a random act.

Speculation and conspiracy theories are the talk of Hollywood these days, since the media attention to the cult connections to the Heath Ledger and David Carradine deaths, due to the Randy Quaid allegations.

As reporter Wayne Madsen says in a recent story for WMR, "Don't be too quick to call Randy Quaid and his wife crazy."

Madsen writes:

Although Hollywood is not WMR's normal forté, from our sources in China comes an interesting item concerning the allegations of actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi, who have taken up residence in Vancouver, British Columbia and are seeking asylum in Canada.

Quaid and his wife insist that they are the targets of a network of cultists who prey on the financial wealth, includng royalties, of Hollywood celebrities and eventually have them knocked off. Quaid and his wife have been deemed "crazy" by the corporate media. 

However, Chinese intelligence, which keeps a close eye on its own cults, including Falun Gong, as well as others operating in Asia, believe that when the Quaids mentioned that actor David Carradine was a victim of what they refer to as "star whackers" in Bangkok, those still investigating Carradine's bizarre death in a Bangkok hotel room took notice.

Let's see how this all unfolds.

Sally Menke, editor.

Ronni Chasen, publicist.

For two other recent related blogs, please see here and here.