Pierre Maurice Joseph Cossette (December 15, 1923 – September 11, 2009) was a

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

executive producer and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

producer. Cossette produced the first television broadcast of the Grammy Awards in 1971. Cossette was inducted into

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

in 2005. Born in Valleyfield,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, he also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2006, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated
/ref> His autobiography, ''Another Day In Showbiz: One Producer's Journey'', offers his vision of the industry, detailing stars, directors, producers, movies, TV companies, record companies, and the art, creation, and exhibition of stage productions such as ''

The Will Rogers Follies ''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld ...

'', ''The Scarlet Pimpernell'', and ''The Voice of Woody Guthrie''. In the book, Cossette describes a conversation he had with his personal friend,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, about his having cast Marla Maples into his Broadway production of ''The Will Rogers Follies'' (Maples became Trump's second wife shortly thereafter). He went from agent to producer with the help and support of entertainment giant Harry Cohn. Cossette booked shows in Las Vegas, brought The Grammy Awards to TV, and managed performers such as Dick Shawn and Buddy Hackett. His son, John Cossette, became the producer of the Grammy Awards following Pierre Cossette's retirement. Cossette died from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

on September 11, 2009, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

at the age of 85.

References

External links

* * French Quebecers People from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Canadian television producers Canadian theatre managers and producers Grammy Awards 1923 births 2009 deaths {{Canada-tv-bio-stub