Paul Bloch, a veteran Hollywood publicist for Rogers & Cowan who counted John Travolta, Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise among his clients in a career that spanned five decades, has died after a long illness. He was 78.

Bloch's friend and fellow publicist Stan Rosenfield says Bloch died Friday in Los Angeles at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Rosenfield called Bloch "THE most respected veteran in the business."

The Brooklyn native started with the firm soon after college, rising to co-chairman after heading up its new contemporary music division in 1975, with Diana Ross, Johnny Ramone and Barry Gibb among his clients. Over the years, he deftly handled crisis management for A-listers, including Murphy after his traffic stop for picking up a prostitute and Cruise after his couch-jumping incident on Oprah.