Sumner Redstone dies at 97: The Towering media mogul helped shape modern entertainment industry with CBS, Viacom and Paramount Pictures

Variety

Redstone transformed his father’s drive-in theater business into an empire that included CBS, MTV, VH1, Showtime, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon, TV Land and many other entertainment properties. "Redstone was among the last of a breed, a strong-willed in the mold of William Randolph Hearst and William Paley, who may be remembered as much for the battles he fought as for the successes he achieved in the entertainment business," says Cynthia Littleton. "He amassed some of the best-known holdings in the industry, including CBS, Paramount Pictures, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and Showtime. With his six-foot frame, shock of orange hair, Boston brogue and billionaire’s bearing, Redstone in his heyday of the 1980s and ’90s cut quite a figure in Hollywood’s business and social circles. He was respected by fellow moguls such as Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner for his willingness to bet big on mergers and acquisitions and to speak his mind. He was feared by many who passed through Viacom’s doors as a demanding boss who paid slavish attention to the company’s stock price. And he had an appetite for the high life, particularly as it related to female companions."