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Linda Stein, former manager of US punk band the Ramones and realtor to New York's A-list celebrities, has been found beaten to death in her Fifth Avenue apartment.
Stein, whose clientele included Madonna, Sting, Steven Speilberg and Angelina Jolie, died from "blunt impact injuries of the head
and neck" according to the New York medical examiner's office.
The 62-year-old's death is being treated as a homicide, reports CNN, but the New York Police Department have refused to comment on possible suspects.
There were no signs of forced entry to Stein's luxury apartment on exclusive Fifth Avenue when police responded to a 911 call on Tuesday night local time.
The New York Times reports that the leading real estate agent was found face down in a pool of blood by her daughter Mandy and a friend.
The Times said that the building had security systems including surveillance cameras at the entrance and in the lobby, doormen and elevator operators.
Stein had been struggling with breast cancer, close friend and colleague Dottie Herman told CNN.
"She had a tough exterior, but she had a heart of gold," said Herman, chief executive of Prudential Douglas Elliman, where Stein worked.
"I just assumed Linda fell and hit her head when I first heard about this, because I can't imagine anyone that would want to kill Linda."
A statement on the Prudential Douglas Elliman website described Stein as "feisty, talented, charming, and relentless".
It said she was a "bright light who quickly rose to fame once she entered the real estate business and became known as the 'Realtor to the Stars'.
At the time of her murder she was marketing a property in Montauk, New York priced at $US26 million ($34.2m) and another in Siena, Italy for $9 million.
Stein, a former teacher, was once married to Seymour Stein, former president of Sire Records and vice president of Warner Brother Records, who was credited with jumpstarting the careers of the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna to stardom.
She was a 'fixture' in famous nightclub Studio 54 and was supposedly the inspiration behind the real estate agent who sells Charlie Sheen's character a high-rise apartment in the movie Wall Street.
Long-time friend Elton John said in a statement: "I'm absolutely shocked and upset. She's been a friend for over 37 years and will be greatly missed, She did so much for breast cancer and was a huge supporter of my AIDS foundation."
- NZ HERALD STAFF