From Rolling Stone:
Pierre Cossette, a talent agent and producer who in 1971 convinced reluctant television executives to broadcast the Grammy Awards as a glittery live event, died on Friday in Montreal. He was 85.Mr. Cossette had an extensive career behind the scenes of the entertainment business, booking stars like Ann-Margret and Frank Sinatra for hotel engagements in Las Vegas and elsewhere; serving as a personal manager to Andy Williams, Vic Damone and Anna Maria Alberghetti; helping start Dunhill Records, home of the Mamas and the Papas; and producing Tony Award-winning shows on Broadway.
Yet he was best known as the man who brought the Grammys to television.