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https://apnews.com/article/clive-davis-obituary-music- mogul-45c9f57f7f764cbf815c9747cbff94e3

Clive Davis, music industry starmaker, has died at 94

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY and MARIA SHERMAN
Updated 4:55 PM EDT, June 22, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) rCo Clive Davis, the record company lawyer who became one of
the music industryrCOs most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos
Santana and Alicia Keys, has died, his family confirmed. He was 94.

Davis died in his Manhattan apartment, weeks after being hospitalized for
an upper respiratory issue, his publicist Aliza Rabinoff said.

rCLTo the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest
artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations,rCY the statement read.

Many artists mourned his passing on Monday. Carlos Santana called him rCLa visionary.rCY Michael Bubl|- said the music executive rCLbelieved in people and
their dreams.rCY Patti Smith thanked Davis for a half century of rCLlove and support.rCY

Unlike other record moguls whose influence waned as they got older, DavisrCO might only seemed to grow, spanning multiple genres and labels. Into his
later years, he was directing the careers of everyone from Barry Manilow
to rCLAmerican IdolrCY winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. And his exclusive pre-Grammys gala, held the Saturday night before the Sunday
award show every year since 1975, continued to be an institution.

rCLCliverCOs talent has always been seeing and hearing what other people donrCOt,rCY former President Barack Obama said in a video message played at this yearrCOs gala.

A Brooklyn background
Clive Jay Davis was born on April 4, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York, where he
grew up in the Crown Heights neighborhood. His father was an electrician
and traveling salesman. He attended New York University and then Harvard
Law School, eventually landing a job as an in-house lawyer at Columbia Records.

Davis always had a knack for business, and by 1967, became president of
the company, just seven years after being hired as an attorney. He cited attending the Monterey International Pop Festival that year as pivotal; it eventually led him to bringing Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Neil Diamond
and many other groups to the label rCo bringing a counterculture spirit to a company that had resisted rock rCynrCO roll.

Davis took big swings in the music industry, particularly in his support
for Black artists, beginning when he signed Gamble and HuffrCOs Philadelphia International Records in 1971.

In 2015, the NAACP recognized Davis for his groundbreaking work by
presenting him with the Vanguard Award. And last summer, Davis was
presented with the Apollo TheaterrCOs Apollo Legacy Award and inducted onto its Walk of Fame.

An unrivaled career
His success stories were staggering, with Houston a crowning achievement
and devastating tragedy: Davis signed her to his Arista record label when
she was just a teen and turned her into AmericarCOs reigning pop princess.

Houston racked up multiple No. 1 hits and became one of the top-selling artists in pop history before drug abuse hobbled her career. She died in a Beverly Hills hotel room in 2012, hours before she was to appear at DavisrCO annual pre-Grammy Awards gala. He had been convinced she was turning her
life around.

rCLMaybe I should have been more skeptical,rCY Davis wrote in his 2013 memoir, rCLThe Soundtrack of My Life,rCY rCLbut IrCOve always been optimistic, and I felt
hopeful. It felt like old times.rCY

He also launched the career of multiplatinum, multiple-Grammy winner Keys
rCo and was quick to note other talents he signed, including Joplin and
Billy Joel, Blood Sweat & Tears and other rCLall-timers,rCY as he so often put it.

rCLI signed Patti Smith, the great Renaissance woman ... I signed Lou
Reed ... I signed the Grateful Dead,rCY he proudly touted in an interview
with The Associated Press in 1999.

He also signed the then up-and-coming producer Sean rCLDiddyrCY Combs to a label deal with his Bad Boy Records. Under Davis, the label would have
some of its biggest successes, most notably with late rap icon the
Notorious B.I.G. That was long before the hip-hop mogul Diddy would be incarcerated, convicted of violating the federal Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for any sexual crime.

An exec who built lifelong careers
Davis didnrCOt simply have an eye for new talent rCo he also knew how to keep veterans relevant, decades after their first hit. Aretha Franklin, whose legend was made at Atlantic Records, flourished in her later years at
Arista, as did Luther Vandross, who made his last albums for another Davis label, J Records.

It was Davis who conceived of the 1999 album rCLSupernatural,rCY which paired guitar god Santana with some of the dayrCOs hottest talents. The record won
a record-tying eight Grammys and gave Santana more success than he had
ever enjoyed in his decades-long career.

Davis didnrCOt always make the right choices; he turned down a chance to
sign up Meat Loaf. And he and his collaborators didnrCOt always agree.

He and producer David Foster fought bitterly over the arrangement for HoustonrCOs all-time hit, a cover of Dolly PartonrCOs rCLI Will Always Love You.rCY Davis won that fight rCo and the song was published with its iconic a cappella intro.

And Manilow strongly objected to recording rCLI Write the Songs,rCY noting that he didnrCOt even write the song, a Bruce Johnston ballad that became a signature hit for Manilow, who would have similar latter-day success
mining the music of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

rCLHerCOs just brilliant at picking ideas he thinks the public will connect,rCY
raved Manilow, who had worked with Davis since he was a budding singer at Columbia Records.

But not an infallible figure
Davis also had his struggles. Though he became president of Columbia
Records in 1967 after joining the label in 1960 as a lawyer, by 1973 he
was gone in a bitter fallout. The label accused him of mismanagement of
funds and he was fired. Although Davis says he was later cleared, it
wasnrCOt the end of his problems; he later was indicted on tax evasion charges, pleaded guilty to one count and had to pay a $10,000 fine.

The label had huge success with a debut act rCo Milli Vanilli. But the male pop duo would become the embarrassment of the industry when, after winning
a Grammy, it was revealed that they werenrCOt actually singing their songs (Davis blamed the debacle on the labelrCOs European division, which he said signed them; the group was later stripped of its best new artist Grammy).

In 1999, as Arista was celebrating its 25th anniversary, Davis faced
another crisis: The labelrCOs then-parent company, BMG Entertainment, a division of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, wanted him to retire;
most of its executives were eased out by 60, and Davis was in his mid-60s.

In 2000, despite support from his superstar roster, the company ousted him
in favor of producer and songwriter Antonio rCLL.A.rCY Reid, who would later become chairman of Island/Def Jam.

Still, DavisrCO successes were many
However, instead of severing its ties with Davis, BMG helped him launch J Records in what BMG has described as the largest record company startup
ever created. Vandross was one of his initial artists, along with
forgettable acts like the boy-band O-Town.

J Records was a success from the start, though, and only grew in stature
with the arrival of a young singer named Keys, a piano-playing singer- songwriter with powerful pipes and dramatic R&B songs. KeysrCO albums would
go on to sell millions and win several Grammys.

His influence grew even more when Davis was tapped for BMGrCOs U.S.
division.

He became a key backer of the careers of the winners of rCLAmerican Idol,rCY guiding many albums to platinum status. The showrCOs link to Sony BMG came through a deal between Davis and 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label
managed by rCLIdolrCY creator Simon Fuller.

In 2007, however, Davis disagreed with the direction of ClarksonrCOs rCLMy December,rCY and she publicly criticized him. The album was a flop, and she later apologized.

In 2008, Sony BMG replaced Davis as chairman and chief executive officer
of the BMG label group, giving him the title of chief creative officer.

He was serving as worldwide chief creative officer at Sony Music
Entertainment up until his death.

A love-filled personal life
In his memoir, Davis confirmed longtime rumors that he was bisexual and
had been living with a man in recent years.

rCLDo I feel I could have been similarly attracted to a woman?rCY Davis wrote. rCLThe answer is yes.rCY

He is survived by his four children, sons Fred, Doug and Mitchell,
daughter Lauren, and his eight grandchildren Austin, Charlie, Matthew,
Hayley, Harper, Sloane, Billie and Cody, two great grandchildren, cousin
Jo Schuman and partner Greg Schriefer.

His family shared a loving statement on Monday.

rCLThrough every chapter of his remarkable life, family remained CliverCOs greatest pride and deepest joy. Today, we celebrate not only a towering
figure whose influence changed music forever, but the man who led our
family with grace, generosity, and kindness. We will miss him greatly,
cherish him always, and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives.rCY

___

However, Davis would declare victory: He says Columbia gave him the money
to start Arista to resolve the dispute, and the label would become a huge success with artists like country superstars Brooks & Dunn, sassy R&B
group TLC, Babyface, Houston, Franklin and others.



And he had middle-aged star Rod Stewart trade in his rock hits for
standards from rCLThe Great American Songbook.rCY The album, released in 2003, sold millions and was so successful it spawned four titles in all.
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