Swifty’s, on Lexington Avenue near East 72nd Street, was an Upper East Side institution for 16 years. He cited Swifty’s limited floor space and lack of a bar, along with rising costs and a looming lease expiration, for the closure. “The business climate has not been conducive to a little restaurant like ours,” co-owner Robert Caravaggi said. The uptown boldface mecca - named for a beloved pug that took its moniker from Hollywood agent Swifty Lazar - served its last meal to heartbroken regulars including designer Michael Kors, cosmetics entrepreneur Aerin Lauder and real estate broker Serena Boardman. Her passion, tenacity and love of music will be remembered by all of us at Live Nation.Swifty’s barked its last on Wednesday night. She was a one of a kind character and a tough as nails businesswoman. We are deeply saddened to learn of Shelley Lazar’s passing. While no details were immediately available, a public tribute to Lazar is expected in the coming weeks. She also melded her teaching and music-business backgrounds as a member of the Board of Directors of Little Kids Rock, a charity based in Verona, New Jersey charity encouraging children to play popular music by providing free music instructions and instruments to school districts across the country. She was active in several non-profit organizations, including the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, Human Rights Watch and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Early in her career she worked in several areas of the music business, starting with catering and moving up to booking, marketing and ultimately ticketing, managing the ticket office at Madison Square Garden and earning a reputation as “The Keeper of the List” at the Pier in New York for shows promoted by Ron Delsener. Lazar began working part-time in the music industry in the early 1970s, while still a public school teacher in New York City - future comedy and film star Chris Rock was one of her students. She was also co-executive producer of the award-winning documentary, “Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars.” “Her passion, tenacity and love of music will be remembered by all of us.”Īccording to her biography, other artists and events for which Lazar managed VIP ticketing include Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Madonna, Pink, Celine Dion, Paul Simon, the MTV Video Music Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, Barbra Streisand’s 2017 television special and even two Popes. “She was a one of a kind character and a tough as nails businesswoman,” reads a tweet from Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation. RIP Shelley Lazar, who hired me for my first job after law school and has remained a good friend ever since. She can be seen smiling and waving at the end of that video, and this one of McCartney performing the song. He speaks about her at length in the video included in the tweet below, saying “You want tickets for anything? Shelley’s the go-to,” then apologizes, realizing what he’d set her up for. In 2014, at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, McCartney performed “San Francisco Bay Blues,” an early hit for the Weavers, and dedicated it to her. “Shelley Lazar was like no other,” Jimmy Fallon tweeted. Social media, particularly her Facebook page, is filled with loving tributes, including ones from Elton John and Paul McCartney.
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