SANDY WERNICK DEAD: HOLLYWOOD LEGEND DIES AS HEARTBROKEN TRIBUTES POUR IN

Adam Sandler's longtime manager and producer Sandy Wernick has died aged 86 following a brief illness. He had an incredibly long career and worked on multiple hit projects including Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and Bulletproof. The talent manager, who became a partner and senior executive VP at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, died in California surrounded by his family and loved ones, a family representative confirmed to Deadline. A memorial will take place in LA after a private service for his nearest and dearest.

He signed famous actor Adam Sandler as a client when Sandler was only 22, before later finding fame on Saturday Night Live. Sandler went on to play a character inspired by his manager in the Netflix film Sandly Wexler, playing a talent manager in LA in 1994 trying to launch the career of singer Jennifer Hudson. Sandy made a cameo in the Netflix hit too.

At the time of promoting the film in 2017 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Adam issued a sweet tribute to his manager as he said: "This guy Sandy, he's like my family, and I love him more than anything, and he's a very sweet guy. He's a great man. And he's been with me since I'm a young boy."

As Adam's career continued to grow, Sandy worked as an executive producer on multiple of his most beloved films. Outside of working with Adam, he also worked with the likes of Jess Ross, Lorne Michaels, Rob Schneider, any many more.

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Following the news of Sandy's death, tributes flooded in online as one user wrote: "Sandy was a wonderful manager and guy. He will be sadly missed." Another wrote: "Deeply sad news, RIP Sandy Wernick."

Outside of his film and management work, Sandy produced impressive TV hits including working on Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show, and The Sopranos. Before his career as a manager begun in the 1970s, he worked at USC School of Cinematic Arts and volunteered in the Ceders Sinai emergency room.

The manager leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Barbara, and his daughter Michele, son Barry and daughter-in-law Jillian.

2026-03-06T10:49:42Z