Photo via Randex Communication’s website


Randy Alexander, a veteran entertainment publicist who founded Randex Communications, passed away on December 27 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 62 years old. Alexander is survived by his wife Randi and his two children, Harrison and Zoe.

Based in Philadelphia, Alexander was one of the most prominent entertainment publicists in the area, representing a variety of prominent performers. He worked with Saturday Night Live’s Joe Piscopo, hard rock pioneers Deep Purple and jam-scene favorites the Disco Biscuits.

Throughout his career as a publicist, Alexander has received numerous accolades: he was named a “Tastemaker” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, one of “24 People to Watch” by SJ Magazine and a “Name to Know” by South Jersey Magazine. In addition, Randex Communications was nominated for “Publicity Firm of the Year” at the New Music Awards/Hollywood, while Alexander himself was nominated for “Top Publicist” at the National Association of Recording Industry Professionals ‘Best in the Biz’ awards.

In addition to his work as a publicist, Alexander was also active in non-profit efforts; he served as a board member and publicist for the Philadelphia Music Alliance, an organization dedicated to preserving Philadelphia’s musical legacy. He also worked with the Asbury Park, N.J.-based Light of Day Foundation, which devotes its efforts to Parkinson’s Disease education and research. Alexander is also a member of the Grammy Recording Academy (NARAS) and a frequent guest lecturer at colleges and universities. He also has served as a moderator and panelist for SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon, NARAS, Garden State Film Festival, DIY Convention, IMC and Cape May Singer-Songwriter Conference.

Relix/Jambands editor-in-chief Dean Budnick recalls, “I first met Randy when he was working with the Disco Biscuits on with the release of their Uncivilized Area album in 1998.  He had a wonderful sense of humor and he really drew people in, making them feel like they were part of a larger community. Randy was supportive of Jambands.com before there even was a Jambands.com, at point when I was still thinking about creating something more than an ecommerce site for my book. He was an early sounding board, who encouraged me to move forward and launch. I have fond memories of continuing to work with him on Gathering of the Vibes, All Good and much later, the traveling Bill Graham exhibit. He approached all of his projects and anyone who encountered him with a generosity of spirit.”

Alexander was born on May 10, 1958. A Philadelphia native, he attended Germantown Academy for high school before earning a BA in journalism at Temple University. Prior to his work in public relations, Alexander had a successful career as a music journalist. Among other things, he contributed to AOL’s MusicSpace Channel, critiqued pop music for the Camden Courier-Post and wrote a 2012 cover story on Bruce Springsteen for South Jersey Magazine. In fact, Alexander’s previous coverage of Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. tour was featured in the best-selling The Boss biography, Glory Days. He also worked as television critic and reporter; Alexander was a member of the Television Critics Association and served as the Philadelphia bureau chief for Multichannel News.

Throughout his illustrious career, Randy Alexander worked to cover and promote legendary acts and up-and-coming performers, while staying committed to preserving the history and legacy of music in the Philadelphia area and the country as a whole.

Alexander’s family had initially set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his medical care. After closing the page on Jan. 3 after Alexander’s memorial service, they posted this message: “The Alexander family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support, and generosity that has been shown. Randy left a great legacy and touched many people’s lives both professionally and personally. We ended this fundraiser following Randy Alexander’s memorial service on 1/3/21. Those who wish to contribute can donate in his name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) at www.PanCan.org.”