'MTV Unplugged' Creator Killed By Taxi On UES, Report Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The creator of the acclaimed MTV program "MTV Unplugged" died days after being struck by a taxi on the Upper East Side, Billboard first reported.

Jim Burns, 65, was walking with his seeing-eye dog Saturday when he was hit by a taxi in the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 87th Street, an NYPD spokesman said. Burns suffered a massive head injury and was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition, police said.

Burns died of his injuries Tuesday, a person close to his family told Billboard. Burns created "MTV Unplugged" with Robert Small in 1989. The show gave popular artists the opportunity to showcase their music in stripped-down acoustic performances.

Over the course of its run, "MTV Unplugged" featured artists such as Nirvana, Lauryn Hill, Paul McCartney, Jay-Z and Eric Clapton. The show was revived in September and featured Shawn Mendes.

The taxi driver stayed on the scene of the collision and was not charged with a crime, an NYPD spokesman said.

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