The New Jersey arts community and beyond are mourning the loss of Jerry Adler, the actor best known for portraying mobster and music-industry guru Hesh Rabkin on HBO’s The Sopranos. Adler, who passed away this week, leaves behind a unique legacy — one that straddled both the fictional world of television’s most famous mob drama and the very real, cutthroat landscape of the music industry.
For many, he’ll forever be remembered for one of the show’s most memorable episodes, “A Hit Is a Hit,” where his character Hesh schools Christopher Moltisanti on the realities of the record business, reminding him that “a hit is a hit” — whether in the mob or in music. But beyond the screen, Jerry Adler was no stranger to that world. In fact, long before becoming a household name through acting, he had been a powerful figure in the music industry’s golden era.
From Payola to Promotion: Jerry Adler the Music Executive
Before his television career defined him for a new generation, Adler made his mark in an industry that was just as brutal as the fictional North Jersey mob: the record business. He was part of the radio and promotions machine in the era of payola, when labels and promoters wielded enormous influence over what songs made it onto the airwaves.
To industry insiders, Jerry Adler was not just an actor who played a music man on screen — he was that music man. Known for his savvy, his connections, and his ability to spot and push records, Adler’s work was emblematic of an age when radio spins could make or break a career. Many veterans of the business still remember his name in connection with major label campaigns, promotional pushes, and the less-glamorous but highly influential side of getting songs heard.
By the time the 1990s rolled around, Adler had mostly stepped back from the frontline battles of radio promotion. But his reputation remained intact, his files and contracts still circulating through companies like MCA, and his legend was carried forward by those who knew just how much he shaped the sound of American radio.
Explore more stories on music legends in our Music section.
Sopranos Stardom: Hesh Rabkin and “A Hit Is a Hit”
Of course, to the public at large, Jerry Adler will forever be remembered as Hesh Rabkin, Tony Soprano’s longtime family adviser and a man who straddled two worlds — the mob and the music business. It was a role that Adler played with a mixture of charm, grit, and inside knowledge that felt almost too real.
In the Sopranos universe, Hesh was both confidant and cautionary tale. He provided Tony with wisdom, history, and even cultural perspective, but he also served as a reminder that the music business could be just as ruthless and morally gray as organized crime. When Hesh lectured Christopher on the futility of trying to launch a vanity hip-hop project in “A Hit Is a Hit,” audiences got one of the sharpest takedowns of the industry ever seen on TV. It was funny, biting, and painfully true.
Stories That Live On: The Phish Tour Connection
For those who traveled the country in the 1990s on the Phish tour scene, Jerry Adler’s name surfaced in unexpected ways. His son was famously involved in a bizarre altercation with a fan known as “Antelope Greg,” a notorious figure on tour who seemed to stir conflict wherever he went. According to lore, Adler’s son delivered a well-placed punch before fleeing into the crowd — a story that has lived on as part of Phish tour mythology.
It’s one of those strange intersections where Adler’s real life and his Sopranos character feel oddly connected: both had ties to music, to conflict, to lore that turned into legend. His character and his house were also in part the inspiration for me wanting to live in a rural setting like Sussex County. I loved his farm in the show. I also did not know that Jerry Adler was the actor. I thought it was an actor that was portraying him kind of like Frank DiLeo in Wayne’s World whom in real life before he died lived near me after I moved back to Jersey.
Remembering Jerry Adler
Jerry Adler’s passing is more than the loss of a beloved actor. It’s the closing chapter on a man who helped shape two very different industries — first the record business, then the world of television.
As Hesh Rabkin, he brought authenticity to The Sopranos, reminding viewers that “a hit is a hit” whether it’s a chart-topping single or a mob score. As a music executive, he navigated the murky waters of promotion and payola, leaving behind a legacy still remembered in industry circles.
In New Jersey, where The Sopranos remains a cultural landmark and where the music industry continues to evolve, Jerry Adler’s story is a reminder of how the Garden State has always been at the crossroads of art, culture, and grit.
Final Thoughts
Jerry Adler’s life was a rare mix of fiction and reality colliding — a man who played a mob-connected music mogul on television but also knew the mechanics of the music world firsthand. His career spanned decades, touching Hollywood, the record business, and the cultural heartbeat of New Jersey.
As fans revisit The Sopranos and industry insiders recall the wild days of radio promotion, Jerry Adler’s influence will continue to echo. After all, as Hesh himself would say: a hit is a hit.
