A&M co-founder Jerry Moss, who died Wednesday (Aug. 16) at 88, once said that if he could have just one album, it would be Sting’s solo debut, 1985’s Dream of the Blue Turtles. The legendary Police frontman and Moss met in March 1979, the day that The Police played their first Los Angeles show at the Whisky a Go Go. They formed a strong bond over the music, with The Police going on to international superstardom while on A&M. The band’s 1983 smash, “Every Breath You Take,” was A&M’s biggest hit, spending eight weeks at No. 1. But even stronger than Moss and Sting’s musical connection was their potent friendship. 

From his house in Tuscany, Sting talked to Billboard about what Moss meant to him both professionally and personally. 

I first met Jerry Moss in 1979. I just got to California with the band and I hugged a palm tree. I’d never seen a palm tree in my life. We booked into the Sunset Marquis and obviously sat at the swimming pool. And then in walked Jerry Moss and [A&M executive] Gil Friesen, two very tall, handsome, distinguished-looking Californian businessmen. Jerry really looked the part, I have to say: Such a striking, handsome guy. Jerry very quickly became a family friend rather than a record executive. But if I’m asked why I think they were so successful as a record company, I would say Jerry was, not to my knowledge, a cutthroat businessman, he was a gentleman first. 

He was a friend. He was a mentor. He was a confidante. And I think his success was based on those very human qualities, rather than being some kind of shark.

Then I met Herb [Alpert, A&M co-founder with Moss], and, for me, it was fascinating that A&M were two people. It wasn’t like a faceless, corporate acrostic. Mr. A and Mr. M were people. You could sit on their desk and chat to them. They were the perfect company for us. They were artist [friendly], they would be patient, and they knew what they were talking about. They weren’t like just the set of accountants, who are guessing. These guys knew the business. 

Jerry would have informed opinions about [the music] he was hearing and would say things like “I think it needs a bridge here.” He wasn’t necessarily right [laughs]. I’m joking. But I would always listen and take what he said seriously. He knew what he was [talking] about. 

He became a very close friend. [Sting’s wife] Trudie and I would stay at his house in Malibu and in Hawaii. When he became a horse breeder, he named [a] horse after our album, Zenyatta [for Police’s 1980 album, Zenyatta Mondatta] and [another] after Giacomo, my third son. The horse won the Kentucky Derby. It was 80:1 odds when we put the bet on him. We’re still living off the winnings. It was amazing that he had just as much talent spotting musical talent as he did horseflesh that would win. But again, I think his success came from his generosity, his humanity.

Luckily, a month ago, he turned up at a gig I was giving in Halifax, Yorkshire, in the north of England. It’s so unlikely that Jerry would turn up there, but he wanted to see a gig. That was the last time I saw him. He was in a wheelchair. He wasn’t speaking, but he was really able to demonstrate how pleased he was to see me and how pleased I was to see him. We hugged and he watched the show, and that was maybe five weeks ago. It was the most unlikely setting for a final meeting, but I’m so grateful that I had that opportunity. We spent a lot of time with him. He’s irreplaceable.  I love him and it’s been a devastating loss for Trudie and myself and the record industry. 

As told to Melinda Newman