He signed Ray Charles, Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin  

Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, died Thursday, Dec. 14 of injuries he suffered in a fall at a Rolling Stones concert in late October. He was 83.

Ertegun made a huge mark on American music, first signing R&B acts such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Big Joe Turner, as well as Joe Tex and Otis Redding. The label later signed what turned out to be some of the biggest rock and pop acts of all time, including the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Bette Midler, ABBA, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.