On this day: Aaron Spelling dies

Another example of Spelling's genius was Beverly Hills 90210, which starred his daughter Tori and charmed teenage viewers worldwide with its portrayal of American high school life.

Spelling, who worked mainly for TV network ABC, was so influential that industry figures often dubbed it 'The Aaron Broadcasting Company'.

His success also made him a wealthy man – the LA mansion he had built was sold to Formula 1 heiress Petra Ecclestone for a figure of up to $150 million. The 57,000 sq ft estate included a bowling alley, car parking for 100 cars and an in-house beauty parlour.

What the JC said: In the Guinness Book of World Records, Aaron Spelling has a niche as the most prolific – and arguably the richest – television producer of all time…If some masochist were to try and watch his entire output consecutively, 24 hours a day, it would take close to four months…And for all but the most reclusive, it is almost impossible to escape a Spelling production on the small screen anywhere. His shows are distributed to 97 countries and one of his happier moments, he says, was walking down a street in London and hearing the theme music from one of his shows.

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