AceShowbiz - Sandy Wernick, the influential talent manager and longtime executive at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, has passed away at the age of 86. His family confirmed that he died on Thursday in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by loved ones after a brief illness. Private services are planned in Palm Desert, with a memorial celebration to follow in Los Angeles.

Sandy Wernick began his management career in the 1970s, guiding the careers of notable clients such as Adam Sandler, Tim Herlihy, Lorne Michaels, Jeff Ross, Colin Quinn, and Rob Schneider. He was also a co-creator and executive producer of the acclaimed Def Comedy Jam and contributed to producing iconic shows including Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show, The Sopranos, Just Shoot Me, Alf, and The Goldbergs.

As Adam Sandler’s manager, Wernick was an executive producer on several of Sandler’s early hit films, including Billy Madison (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), Bulletproof (1996), and The Wedding Singer (1998).

In 2017, Sandler portrayed a character inspired by Wernick in the Netflix film Sandy Wexler, which follows a 1994 Los Angeles talent manager trying to launch a young singer’s career. Wernick also made a cameo appearance in the movie.

Born on March 22, 1939, in the Bronx, Wernick graduated from NYU and served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1962. Later, he taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and volunteered at Cedars Sinai’s emergency room.

Sandy Wernick is survived by his wife of 64 years, Barbara; daughter Michele; son Barry and daughter-in-law Jillian; grandson Sammy; sister Joyce; brother-in-law Jules; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.