This story is part of Loved and Lost, a statewide media collaboration working to celebrate the life of every New Jersey resident who died of COVID-19. To learn more and submit a loved one s name to be profiled, visit lovedandlostnj.com.
A silk scarf billowing over his blazer collar may have been Neil Lasher s trademark, but it didn t define him.
A legendary music industry executive with EMI and later Sony, the 73-year-old from Guttenberg wanted to bring out the best in everyone, said his cousin, Andrea Hersh. Lasher had found the best in himself when he sobered up, and he wanted to pass on the wisdom he discovered. That invariably included some Yiddish lingo for his bubbalas and bubbees, she said.