NEW YORK—Joel Whitburn, who turned his fascination with the Billboard charts into a career cataloging the history of charted music that kept gatekeepers honest about the performance of hits, has died. He was 82.
His Tuesday death at his home in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, was announced by Record Research, Whitburn’s publishing company. Employee Paul Haney posted on Facebook that he died “peacefully overnight.”
Whitburn published hundreds of books, including many in entries of series like “Top Pop Singles,” “Top 40 Hits,” “Top 40 Albums,” and “Top 40 Country Hits,” helping the whole industry with reliable chart stats and records. His books were crucial to DJs, publicists, and chart nerds….