NEW YORK — The co-creator of the iconic television series MTV Unplugged has died after being struck by a taxi while walking with his seeing-eye dog near his Upper East Side home, according to a report.
Jim Burns, 65, was crossing Fifth Avenue when a yellow cab turning off East 87th Street struck him about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, officials said. He suffered a massive head injury and was rushed to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition.
A person close to Burns’ family told Billboard magazine Tuesday that Burns later died.
Burns was at least partially blind and his dog was his “seeing eye companion,” police sources said.
The taxi driver remained at the scene and no charges were filed, police said.
Burns, a longtime writer and executive producer for MTV, created Unplugged in 1989 with Robert Small.
Nirvana, Aerosmith, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey and Alice In Chains were among the stars who famously performed stripped-down acoustic versions of their chart-topping hits on the show.
Clapton’s Unplugged album earned the singer six Grammy Awards, including best album, record and song of the year. Nirvana also won a Grammy for best alternative music performance for their Unplugged album.
The popular series was revived twice on MTV, most recently this year with Shawn Mendes serving as its first artist.