EntertainmentClive Davis, one of the most influential people in the music industry and the record executive who helped bring Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin into the spotlight, has died at the age of 94.Davis championed careers of stars from Aretha Franklin to AerosmithThe Associated Press · Posted: Jun 22, 2026 12:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Clive Davis has died at 94 years old. Here he is pictured in September 2025 in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/The Associated Press)Clive Davis, one of the most influential people in the music industry and the record executive who helped bring Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin into the spotlight, has died at the age of 94. His family confirmed his death Monday on social media, saying his "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," reads a post on Davis's official Facebook page."No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved."Earlier this year, Davis was hospitalized following an upper respiratory issue and was released a few days later. The New York Times reported he died in his Manhattan apartment. Jazz great Sonny Rollins dead at 95Career spanned more than 5 decadesUnlike other record moguls whose influence waned as they got older, Davis's might only seemed to grow over his career, which spanned more than five decades, various genres and multiple labels. Into his 80s, he was directing the careers of everyone from Barry Manilow to American Idol winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. 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 America's reigning pop princess. Davis appears with singer Whitney Houston onstage at a pre-Grammy gala in Beverly Hills, Calif., in February 2011. Houston died a year later, just hours before she was due to appear once again at Davis's Pre-Grammy event. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)She 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. Remembering Whitney Houston"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 Keys — and was quick to note other talents he signed, including Janis Joplin and 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 touted in an interview with The Associated Press in 1999. Veteran relevanceBut Davis didn't simply have an eye for new talent — 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 Records, as did Luther Vandross, who made his last albums for another Davis label, J Records. Davis was responsible for conceiving the 1999 album Supernatural, which paired guitar god Santana with some of the day's hottest talents. It went on to win a record-tying eight Grammys, and gave Santana more success than he had ever enjoyed in his decades-long career. WATCH | What sparked a spat between David Foster and Clive Davis (2019):David Foster on arguing with record executive Clive DavisMarch 17, 2019|Duration 0:44Music producer David Foster reminisces about his fight with record executive Clive Davis over the 1992 Whitney Houston hit I Will Always Love You.Davis was also tied to the careers of a number of Canadian artists. He signed Canadian R&B star Deborah Cox to Arista Records in 1994, under which her self-titled debut reached platinum status in Canada and hit the top five on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, followed by her 1998 sophomore album One Wish that spawned her hit single Nobody's Supposed to Be Here, which spent 14 weeks in the top spot of that same Billboard chart.His Arista Records distributed several of Sarah McLachlan's albums in the U.S. and globally, including her 1991 debut album Solace and her 1997 album Surfacing, which included the hit songs Building a Mystery, Sweet Surrender and Adia.Canadians music superstars Shania Twain and Avril Lavigne were regular attendees at Davis's pre-Grammy galas.With files from CBC News