von www.deep-purple.net John Coletta, former manager of Deep Purple and Whitesnake, died on July 9th 2006. Tony Edwards approached 35 year old John, managing director of an advertising agency (in an office above his own), to help him launch Deep Purple in late 1967. Coletta remained an integral part of the management of the band through the years 1968 to 1976, often touring with them. After the group split, the two managers set up their own operations but retained their interest in the band's back-catalogue. John took on David Coverdale's Whitesnake, and managed them for many years. In recent years John lived in Spain, and was involved with concert promotion there until he became ill last year. He had also been working with Derek Lawrence on some record ideas. I last saw John at Tony Ashton's funeral, but had interviewed him at length for the Deep Purple Omnibus Biography some years before that. We'll have more in the next issue of Darker Than Blue magazine.