Music industry executive who was managing director of EMI Music in Britain in the 1970s and later was chief executive of the "Now That's What I Call Music!" venture. During Mercer's tenure at EMI, he signed artists such as Queen, the Sex Pistols, Olivia Newton-John, Kate Bush and Marc Bolan. Born Oct. 17, 1944, in Preston, Lancashire, England. Died May 05, 2010, in Los Angeles, CA, USA.