Geoff Ammer dies; Veteran Hollywood marketing executive was 62

Film industry marketing executive Geoffrey Ammer, who had been most recently president of worldwide marketing at Relativity Media but resigned after under six months in the post in August 2010, die of the heart attack in Santa Monica. He was 62 and seemingly in excellent health.

Ammer collapsed at his home in Brentwood and was rushed to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, where he died, based on his longtime friend and colleague Terry Curtin.

Geoff Ammer was president of worldwide marketing at Sony Pictures and president of promoting and distribution in the now-defunct Revolution Studios.

"Geoff was passionate, a fighter and dependable, which are all things you want in somebody you're employed alongside," said producer Joe Roth, Ammer's former boss at Revolution, Disney world Studios and Twentieth century Fox.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, on April 6, 1950, Ammer attended the University of Florida and worked together promotion before starting his Hollywood career at Twentieth century Fox in the early 1980s.

He worked at Fox for pretty much a decade and gone to live in Disney, eventually reaching the rank of co-president of promoting.

In 2000 he became president of promoting and distribution at start-up Relativity, however the next year he gone to live in Sony, serving first as head of domestic marketing after which running worldwide marketing.

Ammer continued to serve brief stints as president of promoting at Marvel Entertainment and Relativity Media before recently heading his own consulting company, dubbed Clarius Entertainment.

One of many hit movies he worked were "Alien," "Working Girl," "The Sixth Sense," "Black Hawk Down" and "Spider-Man."

Ammer was considered to have been in good health. His death would be a shock to many friends in Hollywood.

They include former Fox chairman and Academy of movement Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak, who recalled a minute in 1998 when Ammer, in Florida for any media junket, escorted Sherak's ill mother to La.

"She had lymphoma and could hardly walk," Sherak said. "She desired to come out here, and Geoff visited Miami, picked her up, wheeled her on the plane and brought her the place to find me. She died here. Which was Geoff. He didn't do this because he worked for me, trust me. He was my pal."

Ammer is survived by his wife, Mia; children Geoffrey and Annie; and the sisters Connie Ulmer and Bonnie Ammer.