Jacqueline Avant, Wife of Clarence Avant, Killed in Home Invasion Robbery

Jacqueline Avant, the 81-year-old wife of music industry legend Clarence Avant and mother of Nicole Avant, has been killed in a home invasion robbery.

The Beverly Hills Police Department told Variety that a shooting at that location resulted in a death early Wednesday, without reporting the name of the victim. Netflix confirmed to Variety that Jacqueline Avant was the victim, but had no other comment.

The Avants’ daughter, Nicole Avant, is married to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and produced a popular 2019 Netflix documentary about her father, “The Black Godfather.”

Said John Mirisch, a Beverly Hills councilman: “The Avants have been community members for decades. This is beyond shocking… The police will have every tool at their disposal and every resource to catch the scumbags who did this.”

A phone call reporting the shooting was taken at 2:23 a.m. Wednesday morning by the Beverly Hills Police Communications Center, regarding a shooting on the 1100 block of Maytor Place in the Trousdale Estates area. Beverly Hills Fire Department paramedics transported the victim to a local hospital, but police said she did not survive. Detectives were still on-scene as of mid-Wednesday morning, and the BHPD said it will hold a press briefing today.

The shooter was said by police to have no longer been on-site when officers arrived at the scene.

“The City of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Police Department extends our deepest sympathies to the victim’s families,” said Lt. Giovanni Trejo.

Jacqueline Avant was known for her philanthropic efforts, including being on the board of directors of UCLA’s International Student Center and having acted as president of the Neighbors of Watts.

Nicole, a former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas before becoming a film producer, has been an active fundraiser in Democratic circles. The Avants also have a son, Alexander Du Bois Avant, who was featured in “The Black Godfather.”

Clarence Avant was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October, where he was feted on video by such figures as Barack Obama and Kamala Harris.

TMZ first reported the shooting death.

Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!