Jack Gordon (entertainment manager)
| Jack Gordon | |
|---|---|
Gordon, 1998.
|
|
| Born |
Jack Leon Gordon November 10, 1939 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 19, 2005 (aged 65) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Palm Valley View Cemetery Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Samuel Isaac Gordon (1981–83) Clifford William Johnson (1983) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1970–2005 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ethel L. Moxley (m. 1961; div. 1972) La Toya Jackson (m. 1989; div. 1997) |
| Children | Jack Jr., Simone |
Jack Leon Gordon (November 10, 1939 – April 19, 2005) , also known as Samuel Isaac Gordon and Clifford William Johnson, was an American businessman and entertainment manager. Gordon was most known as the former manager and later husband of American singer–songwriter La Toya Jackson. In addition to being Jackson's manager, Gordon later served as the manager of American tabloid subject later turned porn actor John Wayne Bobbitt. Gordon died of cancer on April 19, 2005 at age 65.
Jack Leon Gordon was born in Springfield, Illinois, to Abraham Gordon, a Jewish Russian immigrant, and Faye Stein, an Illinois native of Jewish heritage. While some sources cite Gordon's birthplace as Springfield, Illinois, he claimed Las Vegas as his birthplace in 1983 when he changed his name in 1981 to Samuel Isaac Gordon. However, in 1983, when he again changed his name, this time to Clifford William Johnson, he said he was born in Springfield. In the 1970s, Gordon ran arcades at Circus Circus in Las Vegas. He later bought controlling interest in a Los Angeles massage parlor called Circus Maximus in West Hollywood. Gordon subsequently bought two additional massage parlors, one in Signal Hill and the other in Costa Mesa, California. In 1984 a conviction for pandering in Los Angeles resulted in three months probation.
In 1978, Jack Gordon offered $12,000 to then-chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission Harry Reid to approve two new, carnival-like gaming devices (Flip-A-Winna and Penny Falls) for casino use. Gordon believed the games would bring him more than $100 million in profits. Reid notified the FBI and allowed agents to videotape a meeting with Gordon in his office. At the point where Reid asked, “Is this the money?” FBI agents burst in to arrest Gordon. Reid, a former boxer, exclaimed “You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!” and attempted to strangle Gordon, before startled agents pulled him off. Gordon was convicted in federal court in 1979 and sentenced to six months in prison. In 1981, Reid's wife found a bomb attached to one of their cars, a bomb Reid suspects was placed by Gordon.
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