Tower Records founder Russ Solomon has passed away, aged 92

The 92-year-old founder of the Tower Records empire has passed away, as reported by the Sacramento Bee.

According to the report, the music mogul suffered a sudden heart attack while watching the Academy Awards yesterday evening with his family.

"Ironically, he was giving his opinion of what someone was wearing that he thought was ugly, then asked (his wife) Patti to refill his whiskey," said his son, Michael Solomon. Russ passed away before she returned.

Solomon founded the music store in 1960, spearheading the company during its dominance, seeing it through till its bankruptcy and closure in 2006.

The store, during its height of relevance, expanded to locations in Japan, South Korea, Ireland and would bring in an annual $1 billion in revenue. In 2015, Colin Hanks produced a documentary highlighting the importance of the store, with musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Elton John commenting on its importance.

Tributes have begun to pour in via social media, with music fans expressing their fond memories of the store.