Keith Kevan, a concert, special event, theater, and television producer who made Amagansett his home for the last decade-plus of his life, died on April 12 at Stony Brook University Hospital after a brief illness. Mr. Kevan, who lived at the senior citizens housing complex at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, was 77.
Mr. Kevan began a long career in production as an usher at the rock-and-roll promoter Bill Graham’s Fillmore East, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in 1968, said his daughter, Quincy Kevan of Los Angeles. Working for the Bill Graham Presents company, he was a protégé of the legendary impresario and promoter, Ms. Kevan said, and quickly worked his way to stage manager. He later worked for the promoter and impresario Ron Delsener for many years.
Known in the business as “Wolf Boy,” Mr. Kevan was credited with more than 6,000 events over four decades, producing concerts by the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, U2, and Billy Joel at Giants Stadium, now known as MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, N.J., James Taylor, Elton John, Diana Ross, and Simon & Garfunkel on the Great Lawn of Central Park, and Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Madonna, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, and more than a thousand others at Madison Square Garden.
“A rebel with many causes, he brought larger-than-life energy to every room he entered,” Ms. Kevan wrote on Facebook. “No matter where we were, it seemed like everyone knew him and he knew everyone. A native New Yorker and the middle child of five in a big Irish Catholic family, he had a very tough upbringing, but despite it all he remained a soft soul who loved animals, and babies, and would give anyone the last dollar in his pocket.”
Keith Morgan Kevan was born on Aug. 3, 1948, in Manhattan to William J. Kevan Jr. and the former Lucille Williams. He grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan and in Long Beach. He attended Fordham University in the Bronx.
Mr. Kevan and Leslie Williams were married in 1986. The marriage ended in divorce, but he and Ms. Williams, who lives in Manhattan, remained close, his daughter said.
“One of his specialties was outdoor music festivals,” Ms. Kevan said. He won several awards for his work and “was really considered someone who broke ground in that space in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. For many years, he was like the in-house production manager at Madison Square Garden and the Beacon Theater” in Manhattan.
He loved nature, his daughter said, including birdwatching. He spoke many languages, including Latin. A world-class traveler, “he really enjoyed living out east over the past 10 or 15 years. He was just so happy there.”
In addition to his daughter and former wife, Mr. Kevan is survived by two sisters, Paige Kevan of Ronkonkoma and Deirdre Kevan of Randolph, Vt. Two grandchildren, Jack and Jesse Hersh of Los Angeles, also survive, as does his son-in-law, C.J. Hersh of Los Angeles, and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
Mr. Kevan was cremated. Dispersal of ashes will happen at a date to be determined, and a celebration of his life is planned for the autumn.
