Bert Fields, lawyer to celebrities, dies at 93
Entertainment attorney Bert Fields, whose clients included Madonna, Tom Cruise, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson, as well as Hollywood studios and movie executives, died Sunday at 93.
A spokesperson for his law firm, Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, said Fields died at his Malibu home.
Cruise, a client and longtime friend of Fields, released a statement saying he "was a gentleman; an extraordinary human being. He had a powerful intellect, a keen wit, and charm that made one enjoy every minute of his company. I loved him dearly and always will. It was a privilege to be his friend."
Fields, an L.A. native, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
His career spanned six decades and included representing George Lucas in contract negotiations with The Walt Disney Company Paramount Pictures in its appeal of the Buchwald v. Paramount case over "Coming to America"; and represented Jeffrey Katzenberg in a landmark action against Disney.
Fields was also a player in obtaining a multimillion-dollar judgment for George Harrison against his former business manager.
Representing DreamWorks SKG and Steven Spielberg, he defeated an application for an injunction against screenings of "Amistad."
More recently, Fields represented Jamie McCourt against her husband Frank McCourt; negotiated Cruise's 2012 divorce settlement with Katie Holmes; and represented Shelly Sterling against her husband, Donald Sterling.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Guggenheim, his son, James Elder; his grandson, Michael Lane; and his granddaughter, Annabelle.
