Claire Rothman, a prominent sports and entertainment executive integral to the Los Angeles Lakers during their heyday in the 1980s, has died.
Family members confirmed her death Saturday was due to complications from a fall. She was 97.
As president and general manager of the Fabulous Forum, Rothman was instrumental in bringing big-name musicians to the Inglewood venue and had deep ties to the Lakers when it was the team's home during the Showtime era, when the Lakers won five championships in a decade.
Jeanie Buss, daughter of former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who recent sale of the team serves as her manager at NBA meetings — lamented the loss of Rothman, the woman she said shaped her career.
“Claire paved the way for women in live entertainment. She was tenacious, creative and indomitable. My father always described her as the MVP who championed the Fabulous Forum as a concert rival to the legendary Madison Square Garden on the West Coast,” Bass said Sunday night.
“For me personally, she has been a mentor and guide, helping me learn and navigate an industry that has never been open to female leadership,” Bass said. “I learned a lot from her as a leader and count her as one of the great influences in my life.”
Rothman, hired in 1975 by Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke, became the Forum's debonair president and general manager at a pivotal moment in Lakers history. She was often seen around town carrying the numerous championship rings the team won during her tenure. Rothman was outstanding character in the HBO series “Victory Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” played by actress Gaby Hoffmann.
“Claire Rothman is a legend,” Rebecca Bertuch, a writer on the series, told The Times in 2022. “I mean, she broke barriers that people didn’t think would ever be broken, and she kicked ass, and was notorious and known in her field as that girl.”
Rothman was recognized for her role in professional sports during a time when women were not common or treated poorly.
“I’m not exactly quiet,” Rothman said during an appearance at 1985 profile in The Times. “I'm the only woman in the United States who runs a major sports arena. I have a lot of responsibilities. I book the building. I plan the sporting events. I'm in charge of the box office, I'm in charge of the entire staff, and at night I play hostess.”
She invited celebrities such as Prince to the Forum and developed relationships with artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond and Lionel Richie.
“Many building managers never meet an artist in their entire lives,” Larry Vallon, then a vice president at Universal Amphitheater, told The Times in 1985. “In Claire's case, artists go out of their way to meet her. She has an incredible reputation in the industry.”
This was a remarkable position for a woman whose family in this country had humble beginnings.
According to Magda Peck, a cousin of Rothman's mother, Rothman's family fled Romanian pogroms against Jews at the turn of the 20th century and immigrated to Philadelphia.
“What I remember about Claire is how important family was to her and how close she was to my mother and other cousins,” Peck said. “There was something about modeling how women support each other, how cousins support each other from generation to generation.”
Peck, a public health expert, last saw Rothman a couple of weeks ago.
“She said, 'Promise me you'll stay close to your cousins,'” Peck said. “Before she becomes famous, before she becomes the mother of the Lakers family, [she prioritized] the value of a large family.”
Rothman died in Las Vegas, where she moved after leaving Southern California. She is survived by a son and daughter, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
