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Justin Bieber, Keith Richards mourn label manager killed in Paris attacks


Among the victims of Friday's Paris attacks was Universal Music Group Thomas Ayad, whom Justin Bieber and Keith Richards remembered on social media.

Ayad, an international product manager for UMG subsidiary Mercury, was among the 89 victims of the Bataclan theater attacks, where he was attending the evening's Eagles of Death Metal concert, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bieber posted a message about his "friend Thomas" on his social media accounts, writing, "He was part of the team for years and I wish I would've had more time to thank him."

Keith Richards remembered Ayad in a picture of the two together. "My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Thomas Ayad," he wrote in the caption. "I am horrified by the tragic events that took place in Paris last Friday night."

Billboard reported that Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge confirmed the sad news in a note to staffers on Saturday.

“This is an unspeakably appalling tragedy,” he wrote. “On behalf of everyone here at UMG, we extend our most profound sympathies to his parents and all of his friends and family.”

According to a tweet from Pascal Nègre, the president of Universal Music France, two more Universal employees also died in the attacks, though their full names have yet to be released.