New york: Legendary music producer Clive Davis, who discovered stars such as Whitney Houston and Barry Manilow, has died.
According to Ghana News Agency, several US media outlets are citing his family and management as saying that Davis died in New York at the age of 94. Reports indicate that the music producer had previously been hospitalized with respiratory problems. He died 'peacefully from age-related illness . surrounded by his family and loved ones,' the music magazine Rolling Stone quoted his longtime agent as saying.
In a statement quoted by Rolling Stone, Davis' family wrote: 'To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives.' The family further described him as a steady presence, a source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love. Besides Houston and Manilow, Davis also nurtured stars and bands such as Janis Joplin, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys, and Aerosmith, thereby playing a decisive role in shaping the history of music over the past decades.
To mark his 90th birthday, Davis organized a massive celebration in New York attended by numerous celebrity guests, alongside a mini-documentary series. In recent years, he had largely stepped back from the public spotlight.
Born in 1932 in Brooklyn, New York, Davis was raised in a Jewish family. His parents died in quick succession just as he started college. 'I had the total sum of $4,000 facing three more years of college with a dream of going to law school,' Davis once said in an interview. To secure scholarships, he was compelled to maintain a high grade-point average, driven by the necessity to succeed.
After graduating, Davis embarked on a career as a lawyer and eventually joined Columbia, a music company, before founding several record labels of his own. The multiple Grammy winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In his personal life, Davis experienced two divorces and had four children. His 2013 autobiography, 'The Soundtrack of My Life,' revealed his bisexuality, noting that he only looked beyond gender for a relationship in middle age after two failed marriages.
Davis described Whitney Houston as a 'vocal genius,' considering her one of the most significant discoveries of his career. He maintained a close professional relationship with her from the moment he first discovered her in 1983. In 2022, the film 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody,' co-produced by Davis, was released, portraying the life of Houston, who passed away in 2012.
He also shared a close friendship with Aretha Franklin, who died in 2018, referring to her as the 'Queen of Soul.' 'Apart from our long professional relationship, Aretha was my friend,' he wrote on X after her passing. 'She was a national treasure to be cherished by every generation throughout the world.'