The foundation made the announcement in a short statement released on Saturday. “Jann Wenner has been removed from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” said the statement.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation inducted artists into the hall of fame and was the organisation behind the creation of its affiliated museum in Cleveland.

This dismissal of Jann is an action taken after his interview with The Times was published on Friday. Additionally, it times with the publication of his new book “The Master” a collection of his interviews with rock legends Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Bono- all of whom are white males.

In the Times interview, Jann, 77, was asked why none of the personalities in his book was women or people of color.

Addressing the part about women he said, “Just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.”

However, his answer about people of color was less direct than expected. “Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right?” he began.

“I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.”

People on the net instantly took to criticize the comments made by Jann:

On late Saturday, a representative of the publishing company of the book Little, Brown and Company issued a statement where Jann said: “In my interview with The New York Times I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.”

“‘The Masters’ is a collection of interviews I’ve done over the years, that seemed to me to best represent an idea of rock ’n’ roll’s impact on my world; they were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career. They don’t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live. I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences,” he added.