Richard William Freston

R. William (Bill) Freston passed away peacefully on February 20, 2025, surrounded by family in Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan following a traumatic fall on the island of Bequia in the Caribbean. Bill was born on May 9, 1948, in New Rochelle, New York to the late Thomas and Winifred Freston. He lived in Manhattan.

Bill grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut, where he attended high school and went on to graduate from St. Michael's College in 1970. A deep passion for music and a fascination with its cultural impact in the 60s and 70s, led Bill to a lifetime of positions in the music and media industries. His first job was at the free form radio station WNTN in Boston where he rose to General Manager in 1972. He moved to New York City in 1973 to begin work at Columbia Records during a golden age for the music business. He held a series of positions there, working with a wide range of artists including the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Janis Ian, Blue Oyster Cult, and John McLaughlin. Bill became Special Assistant to the legendary Bruce Lundwall, President of Columbia Records, and eventually rose to Senior Vice-President. He helped spearhead projects like 1979's "Havana Jam," a historic event that brought Cuban and American musicians together for the first time since the Cuban Revolution.

Always on the frontier, Bill was, among other things, a founder of Click Radio, the first licensed digital radio service, and helped launch Zingy Media, the first mobile music streaming channel.

Bill was truly beloved with the widest circle of friends. Smart, quick witted, full of life with an encyclopedic knowledge of the arts, he brought a joyful energy to every room he entered. Many thought he was the funniest person they'd ever met, "Bill gives the greatest lunch in town."

Bill was very proud of and devoted to his sobriety, which he held close for 28 years. He selflessly helped put many others onto that path.

An inveterate adventurer, Bill fully embraced life to the end travelling the far corners of the world. At heart, he was an island boy, always happiest off the mainland. He'd return again and again to his happiest places and their off-beat communities… Martha's Vineyard, Port Antonio, Jamaica, Kauai, and Bequia in the Grenadines. He spent his last five winters there, known by the locals as "Uncle Bill."

Bill leaves behind his older brother Tom and his two beloved nephews, Andrew and Gil. The family expresses their deep gratitude to the doctors and staff at Mount Sinai Hospital for their compassion and heroic attempts to resuscitate him. A funeral service and memorial will be held in April. Bill requested that any donations go to Compassionate Care ALS Inc. (www.ccals.org) in loving memory of his best friend Thomas "Dilly" Walsh.