PEOPLE : Wayne Patterson Is Live’s New CEO

Wayne H. Patterson has been named chairman and chief executive of Live Entertainment Inc., the Los Angeles-based video and music distributor that was rocked by the murder of its former chairman, Jose E. Menendez, last year.

Patterson, 43, is the former head of Pace Membership Warehouses, a Colorado-based discount retail chain that had more than $1.5 billion in revenue in 1989. Pace was purchased by the K mart Corp. for $322 million late last year. Patterson also spent 15 years with the accounting firm Touche, Ross & Co.

In announcing the appointment, acting Live Chairman Peter M. Hoffman said Patterson “brings a wealth of experience in the national retail business and other related industries.”

Live has subsidiaries in music, films and computer software. Its holdings include the record store chain Strawberries. The company reported year-end income of $19.4 million last year, up 10% from 1988.

Live, however, has been in a state of flux since last August, when Menendez and his wife, Kitty, were killed in their Beverly Hills home. Their sons, Lyle, 22, and Erik, 19, have been charged with two counts of murder each. Both have pleaded innocent.

Patterson said he expects to make a smooth transition into the leadership role once held by Menendez. “Everyone was saddened by the tragic loss of Jose, but business has carried on,” Patterson said. “I’ve rarely seen a group of people pull together in such a positive way.”