Remembering Jeremy Gruber
Jeremy Gruber, former USC Thornton Music Industry faculty member, died on October 29, 2026. He was 43.
A devoted instructor, bandleader, bassist and marketing executive – Jeremy was an integral member of the arts community in Los Angeles. As leader of Artist Marketing and Digital Strategy at Friends at Work, he worked intimately with superstar talents including John Legend, Charlie Puth, The National, Lindsey Stirling and others. In addition to launching JRG Management, where he represented and managed the careers of independent artists such as Victor Jones and The Haygoods, Jeremy Gruber most recently served as Head of Marketing for the celebrated Blue Note Los Angeles jazz club.
Born in Belleville, New Jersey on June 10, 1983 to Alane and Howard Gruber, Jeremy was raised in Washington Township, New Jersey, where he attended Westwood High School and graduated from the top of his class. As the son of two music teachers, Jeremy discovered his passion for both music and teaching at a young age, and these passions guided him as interwoven harmonies throughout his life.
As a teen, Jeremy was an accomplished electric bass player who started playing in his own bands, going to underground punk shows, attending the Berklee College of Music summer program, and booking gigs while still in high school. Always focused on music, Jeremy developed an encyclopedic knowledge of popular genres, from jazz to rock and everything in between.
Driven by his ambition to work in the music industry, Jeremy moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to attend the USC Thornton School of Music, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Industry. After graduation in 2005, Jeremy began a successful career as a music industry executive, working with musicians from Mick Fleetwood to supporting artists like Mötley Crüe, Blondie, Papa Roach, and Buckcherry. An expert in promotional strategies, digital campaigns, and technologies, Jeremy later returned to his alma mater at USC Thornton to serve as an Adjunct Professor for six years in the Music Industry program.
Jeremy Gruber will forever be remembered for his warmth, generosity of spirit, and everything he gave back to his community, colleagues, and students at USC Thornton and beyond.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Newman, his parents Alane and Howard Gruber, his brother Jay Gruber, and his sister Abbey Horwitz, in addition to his nephew Miles Gruber, his nieces Charlotte Gruber and Jillian Horwitz, and his parents-in-law, Richard and Jan Newman, sister-in-law Alexandra Newman and Casey Gruber, brother-in-law Ken Horwitz, and many other treasured relatives and friends.