Howard King; Show Business Lawyer

Howard King, an entertainment industry attorney whose high-profile clients included Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Arsenio Hall, Stevie Wonder and Tom Waits, has died of an apparent heart attack.

Howard Weitzman, his partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Katten, Muchen, Zavis & Weitzman, said King was 48 and died Saturday at his Los Angeles home.

Among his most noted successes was his successful defense of Wonder in a copyright infringement suit involving Wonder’s song “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and his victory for Waits in voice infringement litigation against Frito-Lay for impersonating Waits’ voice in a radio commercial.

He also represented Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures Corp., Warner Bros. Records and Capitol Records.

Survivors include his wife, Leslie, and three sons.