Months after being honoured by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, legendary music producer Clarence Avant, ‘the Black Godfather’, is now facing what is probably the most painful moment of his 90 years.

Avant’s wife of 54 years, 81-year-old Jacqueline Avant, a Los Angeles philanthropist, was shot and killed during what authorities believe was a home invasion robbery in Beverly Hills early today (December 1).

According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, police responded to a call of a shooting in the 1100 block of Maytor Place in Beverly Hills shortly before 2:30 am.

Officers found one victim with a gunshot wound who was transported to a local hospital but died.

TMZ IDENTIFIES VICTIM

Lt Giovanni Trejo of the Beverly Hills Police Department could not immediately confirm the name of the victim, but gossip website TMZ said it was Jacqueline Avant.

Mrs Avant, who is also the mother-in-law of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, had been a prominent Los Angeles philanthropist over the decades, notably in support of the UCLA International Student Center.

She had been featured in the Netflix documentary about her husband’s legendary career, The Black Godfather.

Her husband is a legendary figure in the music industry who the Times said worked with or advised such stars as Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Babyface, Bill Withers, Sixto Rodriguez, the SOS Band and Cherelle.

The shooting comes amid growing concerns over a string of follow-home robberies in affluent neighbourhoods in the Los Angeles area.

In November, a crew of masked robbers tracked actor and former BET host Terrence Jenkins to his Sherman Oaks home and attempted to block his car in with an SUV, but he was able to flee in his car as shots were fired.

Last week, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced he was setting up a task force to deal with the follow-home robberies, saying the department has not seen violent hold-ups “like this in decades”.

The trend, which has targeted celebrities and upscale restaurants in recent months, turned deadly in the predawn hours last Tuesday when a man was gunned down during an attempted robbery outside Bossa Nova restaurant in Hollywood.

MAJOR FIGURES IN MUSIC AND POLITICS

Investigators were still at the scene of the shooting Wednesday morning, Trejo said.

The home is located in Trousdale Estates, a wealthy neighbourhood above Sunset Boulevard.

The Avants have been major figures in both music and politics.

Their daughter, Nicole Avant, is married to Sarandos. In 2007, she described her parents’ deep ties to Democratic leaders, including Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Nicole remembered “President Jimmy Carter and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley working the crowds in the family’s living room. [Future California Governor] Gray Davis, just starting his own political career, had a small office in the ‘70s at her father’s record company. Gov. Jerry Brown was a frequent visitor at the family’s Beverly Hills estate.”

Information taken from The Los Angeles Times