Alan Meltzer
When Alan Meltzer passed away last October, he left behind $1 million in his will to his chauffeur and another $500,000 to the doorman of his building. An entrepreneurial success story, Meltzer built his fortune in the music business and gained fame in the poker world when he appeared on Season 5 of High Stakes Poker.
The chauffeur and the doorman were close friends of Meltzer, and had provided him with support during his divorce from his wife of 13 years. His chauffeur, Jean Laborde, father of 5 from Irvington, NJ, said in fond remembrance of his dear friend, “He never looked down on anybody. He was such a nice guy. He left me money but it’s not a good deal for me because it means he’s no longer here.” The doorman, Chamil Demiraj confirms by adding, “He was a generous guy. He was a really good friend of mine and I was a good friend of his. It’s a surprise. Peace and rest to him. That’s all I can say.”
His ex-wife Diana used less delicate words as she commented bitterly, “He can leave it to whoever he wants to. I’m doing fine. I could care less. If he wants to give it to the bums, he can give it to the bums. He could f–k a nun. I couldn’t give a s–t. We’re divorced. The man is dead.”
Alan Melzter achieved his business success through his entrepreneurial ventures in the music industry. In 1985 he founded CD One Stop, the first CD distributor of its kind, which he started out of his own home and grew into a booming business. He later moved on to found Wind-Up Records in 1997, the largest independent record label in the world, home to artists such as Creed, Evanescence, Seether, Finger Eleven and People in Planes.
Apart from his business successes, he was a known presence in high stakes poker games as he set up private games in Vegas attracting pros like Sammy Farha, David Williams and David “Viffer” Peat. Playing 30 hours a week, he claimed that he spent more time at the poker table than at his job. In his appearance on High Stakes Poker in its 5th season, he played a big hand against Tom Dwan, as he bravely called an all-in river shove with pocket kings on an Ace-high board vs Dwan’s full house, resulting in a pot over $500,000. Famous for his refusal to “run it twice” even at the highest stakes, Meltzer had a real love for action. “I don’t need nut-peddlers in my game,” he said. “I want an action game. I’m an action player all the way.”