Entertainment icon Clive Davis, who shaped modern music as the founder of Arista Records and president of Columbia Records, died Monday, family members told NBC News.
He was 94.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” his family said in a statement.
“He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.”
The man with the magic ear had been associated with some of the biggest names in music history.
He fostered the careers of icons and hitmakers such as Whitney Houston, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Kelly Clarkson.
His success stories were staggering, with Houston a crowning achievement and a devastating tragedy: Davis signed her to his Arista record label when she was just a teen and turned her into America’s 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 Los Angeles hotel room in 2012, just hours before she was to appear at the annual pre-Grammy Awards gala hosted by Davis, who had been convinced she was turning her life around.
“Maybe I should have been more skeptical,” Davis wrote in his 2013 memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life,” “but I’ve always been optimistic, and I felt hopeful. It felt like old times.”
He also launched the career of multiplatinum multiple Grammy winner Alicia Keys — and was quick to note other talents he signed, including Janis Joplin, Billy Joel, Blood Sweat & Tears and other “all-timers,” as he so often put it.
“I signed Patti Smith, the great Renaissance woman. ... I signed Lou Reed. ... I signed the Grateful Dead,” he proudly said in an interview with The Associated Press in 1999.
But Davis didn’t simply have an eye for new talent — he also knew how to keep veterans relevant for decades after their first hits. 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 “Supernatural,” which paired guitar god Carlos Santana with some of the day’s hottest talents. The record won a record-tying eight Grammys and gave Santana more success than he had ever enjoyed before in his decadeslong career.
Davis won four Grammy Awards in his long career — in 2000 for best rock album and album of the year (both for Santana’s “Supernatural”), in 2006 for best pop vocal album (Clarkson’s “Breakaway”) and in 2009 for best R&B album (Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled work).
Davis cast a wide shadow over all of American popular culture, with his pre-Grammys party one of the must-attend social events of the year for music movers and shakers.
Jelly Roll, Art Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Berry Gordy, Brandi Carlile, Pharrell Williams, Diplo, Dave Grohl, Gladys Knight, Lana Del Rey, Shaboozey, Jack Antonoff and Hudson all attended or performed at Davis’ most recent pre-Grammy’s bash at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 31.
The bash even included a video message from former President Barack Obama, who reminded partygoers that “Clive’s talent has always been seeing and hearing what other people don’t.”
Bruce Springsteen posted a tribute to Davis on social media, calling him a “great record man and close friend.”
“At 22 years old, he changed my life when he signed me to Columbia Records,” Springsteen wrote. “He treated me with the same respect and kindness as a 22-year-old nobody as he did after all my success. A great man. All our prayers and love.”
Alicia Keys posted to Instagram that Davis was a “visionary who transformed dreams into reality, leaving an indelible mark on music and lives worldwide.”
Patti Smith wrote on Instagram: “This is thanking Clive Davis for transforming music, and on a very personal note, for believing in me, shepherding my efforts and a half century of your love and support.”
Davis, who was born April 4, 1932, had four children. In his memoir, he confirmed longtime rumors that he was bisexual and had been living with a man in recent years.
“Do I feel I could have been similarly attracted to a woman?” Davis wrote. “The answer is yes.”
Davis’ family said he always made time for loved ones no matter how busy he was reshaping all of pop music.
“To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the center of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love. No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved,” according to the family statement.
“Through every chapter of his remarkable life, family remained Clive’s 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.”
