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John Legend has parted ways with his manager of 20 years, Ty Stiklorius, and signed a new management deal with Roc Nation, the entertainment and sports management company founded by Jay-Z, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Stiklorius confirmed the split in a statement that struck a warm rather than a formal tone, framing the transition as a handoff rather than a break.
"Twenty years is a lifetime in this business, and I'm proud of the work John and I did together that was rooted in creativity, trust, love, and ambition," she said. "I'm energized by what's ahead for both of us as I pass the music management baton to Jay Brown at Roc Nation. I continue to be John's partner in the many for-profit and non-profit ventures we built together and John's biggest champion."
The statement is notable for what it signals about the ongoing relationship. Stiklorius made clear that she and Legend remain connected through the business interests and nonprofit work they built together during two decades of collaboration, even as she hands off day-to-day music management to Brown, one of Roc Nation's most senior figures.
Legend has not made a formal announcement, though Roc Nation posted an image of him performing on his current tour on Instagram shortly after the news emerged. He was still publicly aligned with Stiklorius as recently as February, when she spoke about their partnership during a panel discussion at a Global Citizen event.
The split ends one of the more enduring artist-manager relationships in contemporary music. Stiklorius co-founded Friends at Work, a management firm that continues to represent artists including Charlie Puth and The National. Her departure from Legend's team does not appear to signal any broader instability at the firm.
Roc Nation, founded by Jay-Z in 2008, represents a roster that includes Alicia Keys, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert and Clipse, alongside a sports management division with a significant footprint in football, boxing and soccer. Jay Brown, who is joining as Legend's manager, is one of the company's co-founders and a long-time senior executive. His involvement signals that Roc Nation is treating this as a priority signing rather than a routine addition.
For Legend, the timing of the switch aligns with an active period in his career. He kicked off his "A Night of Songs and Stories" tour on March 18 with a show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. The intimate tour format, which features Legend at the piano talking through the stories behind his songs, runs through major US cities over the following two months including Birmingham, Charleston, Virginia Beach, Newark and Portland.
"I'm excited to bring A Night of Songs and Stories back. Just you and me, the piano, and the stories behind the songs," Legend said in a statement posted to Instagram when the tour was announced. "This is one of my favorite things to do. There's something really special about these nights."
Legend, a Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy winner known by the acronym EGOT, built his career from a Columbia Records debut in 2004 through a run of commercially successful albums and live touring. His crossover appeal across R&B, pop and adult contemporary audiences has made him one of the most consistently bankable live acts in music. His relationship with Stiklorius helped architect much of that commercial and cultural positioning over two decades.
Roc Nation's track record with legacy artists and its infrastructure across music, sports and media makes it a logical home for a talent of Legend's profile at this stage of his career. The move positions him within a company that has shown a consistent ability to leverage artist relationships into broader entertainment and brand opportunities beyond the traditional label model.
