Marty Erlichman has died at 97, ending more than 60 years as the manager Barbra Streisand said was always by her side. The loss reaches beyond a single relationship: he helped guide the business around her recording, theater, film, television, licensing and concert work.
Erlichman’s own account of their first meeting shows how early the partnership took root. He saw Streisand perform as an eighteen-year-old opening act, said she sang five songs, and recalled, “I had chills through all of them.”
Detroit and a $25 gap
Three months later, Streisand called with a problem in Detroit, where she was making $150 a week and wanted $200 a week plus dinners. Erlichman flew there at his own expense, then paid the owners the twenty-five-dollar difference so she could get meals.
Streisand’s recollection of that exchange still captures the odd shape of the relationship. She told him, “I’m not a singer, really. I’m an actress, and I’m only doing this because no one will hire me to act.” He answered, “If you’re as good an actress as you are a singer, then there’s no stopping you. I just saw you do comedy, drama. You made me laugh, you made me cry. I think you have a big career ahead of you — records, television, theater, movies.”
10 specials, one Emmy trail
Over the years, Erlichman executive-produced 10 of her TV specials, starting with My Name Is Barbra in 1963 and ending with Barbra: The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic! in 2017. Along the way, Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments won an Emmy for Streisand and Erlichman in 1974, and Barbra: The Concert won another in 1995. That kind of run turned a manager’s job into a long-term operating role across multiple formats.
He also executive-produced Streisand’s record-setting concert appearances and tours, including the Millennium Concert in 2000 and the 2006–2007 world tour. His first film producing credit was For Pete’s Sake in 1974, directed by Peter Yates, which put him inside the film side of the business as well.
A contract they never signed
Last month, Streisand wished him a happy 97th in a social post and called him “the greatest manager ever!” After his death, she said, “Although Marty lived a long and full life, nothing can prepare you for the reality of losing someone so dear. I truly thought he would live forever. In my eyes, he was simply indestructible — always by my side, through everything. And we never even had a contract. Marty can never be replaced, and I will be forever grateful for his friendship, loyalty, and unwavering support.”
That missing contract is the sharpest detail in the story. Erlichman still negotiated the machinery of Streisand’s career for more than six decades, and she said he had recently been trying to convince her to go on tour, telling her he would be there every step of the way. The business outlived the paperwork, and the absence of a formal agreement now reads like the final proof of how unusual that partnership was.
