David Deutsch, the founder of the agency now known as Deutsch, died Thursday from natural causes.
The 84-year-old launched David Deutsch Associates in 1969, with Oneida as a flagship client, and the boutique became known for its sophisticated creative for prestige brands like Crouch & Fitzgerald and Letts of London diaries.
In 1983, his son Donny joined the agency, ushering in the next generation of management at a print agency that would be reinvented as an integrated advertising and digital agency that expanded to Los Angeles in 1997 and became part of Interpublic Group in 2000.
The elder Deutsch, who had worked as a creative director at Ogilvy & Mather before starting his own business, retired in 1993. After leaving the ad industry, he pursued his interests as an artist.
Deutsch had one-man exhibits and was awarded in juried shows at galleries including Wally Findlay Galleries International Inc. in East Hampton, New York and Palm Beach; the Noho Gallery and Verdian Gallery in New York and, in Florida, at the Florida Cornell Museum, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Carlynn Gallery and the Ora Sorensen Gallery, among others.
David Deutsch is survived by his wife, Francine, and children, Donny and Amy.
“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of David Deutsch,” said Linda Sawyer, the North American chief executive of Deutsch. “He was a remarkable man with a tremendous talent and a big, caring heart. As the founder of Deutsch, we proudly stand on David’s shoulders each and every day. We share Donny and his family’s grief.”
David Deutsch’s funeral is Friday, June 14th at 11:45 am at Riverside Memorial Chapel, located at 180 West 76th St. in New York City.
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