Tony Neely Passes
Longtime Emmys Production Manager
Tony Neely, a production manager with a long career supervising live events, died May 19, 2009, in Castaic, CA. He was 66 and had been battling liver cancer.
Neely, who began his professional career as a stagehand for Off Broadway productions, went on to work as stage manager for Broadway musicals Two Gentleman of Verona and Raisin.
He later moved to Los Angeles, where he became a production manager for Disney/ABC, where he coordinated the press and arrival areas for the Academy Awards for 22 years. He also managed production activities for ABC sitcoms, game shows, soap operas, pilots, and special events such as the 1984 Olympics.
In addition to the Oscars, Neely’s extensive awards show experience included several years with the Primetime Emmys. He also worked on the Daytime Emmys and the NAACP image awards.
He is survived by his wife Elena, two daughters and a son.