He was said to be 62, although other sources listed his age at 58.
If Carr's name doesn't ring a bell, his productions, as flamboyant as the man himself, do: Grease, the hit 1978 film he coscripted; Grease 2, the flop 1982 sequel, with newly anointed star Pfeiffer; and La Cage aux Folles, the 1980s Broadway hit that brought him a Tony for best new musical.
To Hollywood longtimers, Carr was Hollywood. "No one loved the business more than Allan Carr," Daily Variety's Army Archerd wrote today. "And we loved him for it."
Like Hollywood, Carr could be bold, brazen and lovably devoid of devoid of good taste. Who else but Carr would pair Ann-Margret with Joe Namath (in 1970's C.C. and Company)? Or hire Rhoda Morgenstern's TV mom to direct the Village People (in 1980's disco turkey Can't Stop the Music)? Or goad Snow White into dueting on "Proud Mary" with Rob Lowe (at the Oscars)?
It was the 1989 Academy Award telecast, featuring the aforementioned Ms. White and Mr. Lowe, that brought Carr his most infamous moment in the spotlight. (Unless you count the time he wired his jaw shut to shed poundage.)
Hired to produce his first (and, it turned out, last) Oscar show, Carr pulled out all the stops--flying without a net (and traditional host) and enlisting Merv Griffin (!) to croon "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," awkward Hollywood couples (like Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn) to present trophies, and, yes, Snow and Rob to belt out an old Ike-and-Tina tune.
The international TV audience, not to mention Snow White's protective bosses at Disney, were aghast. Of course, on the bright side, the Carr fiasco prompted Oscar officials to seek out Billy Crystal to emcee his first Academy telecast the very next year.
Can't Stop the Music was another quintessential Carr project. On the heels of Grease, Carr rushed to work his magic on another movie musical--this one built around disco gods the Village People. (Hence, the original title: Discoland.) To put his vision on screen, Carr assembled a stellar team straight from the bizarro universe: Olympic-hero Bruce Jenner, future Police Academy cadet Steve Guttenberg, Broadway vet Tammy Grimes and (why not?) Rhoda costar Nancy Walker. Walker, by the way, wasn't hired to act. She was hired to direct. It was the onetime Bounty spokeswoman's first (and, it turned out, last) motion-picture assignment.
Unfortunately, by the time the film (since retitled) was ready for release, disco was dead, "Y.M.C.A." was a good 15 years away from becoming a kitschy favorite, and audiences weren't buying.
Carr had been in ill health recently, undergoing hip surgery and a kidney transplant last December.
A former personal manager, Carr once repped the likes of Ann-Margaret and Tony Curtis. He also (why not?) once hosted a black-tie party for celebrity author Truman Capote in a Los Angeles jail.
"Whether people like me or don't like me, or they like what I do or don't like what I do, they know that I love Hollywood," Carr said in 1989 before the Oscars, "and I'm a big enthusiast for Hollywood."