BOBBY ZAREM, the famed entertainment industry publicist who represented stars such as Cher and Diana Ross, died Sunday in Savannah, Georgia, the U.S., according to the New York Times. He was 84.

Zarem’s colleague Bill Augustin confirmed to the New York Times that he died of complications related to lung cancer.

Beyond his roster of celebrities, Zarem was known for a number of famous projects, notably the “I Love New York” tourism campaign (though his exact level of involvement in the campaign is debated). His other notable work includes publicity for “Saturday Night Fever” — the studio had neglected the film, expecting it to underperform until Zarem stole production stills of John Travolta to generate buzz — and “Tommy,” for which he hosted a black-tie gala in a Manhattan subway station. His reputation also lended itself to the 2002 film “People I Know,” as Al Pacino’s character Eli Wurman was based on Zarem.

To many in the industry, Zarem was a more complicated figure. He once employed publicist Peggy Siegal, who accused Zarem of throwing a typewriter at her, an allegation he denied. He also feuded with late gossip columnist Liz Smith, who he claimed wrote a column regularly bashing his clients under the byline Robin Adams Sloan. In retaliation, Zarem aired the news of Smith’s wedding to partner Iris Love.

“I felt that if I made the rest of the world accept Dustin Hoffman and Ann-Margret and Cher, and all these people, then I would be accepted,” he once told Hamptons magazine, according to the Times.

(SD-Agencies)