Clive Davis, a music industry mogul who launched or resurrected the careers of Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has died. He was 94.
Davis died in his Manhattan apartment, weeks after being hospitalized for an upper respiratory issue, his publicist Aliza Rabinoff said.
Many artists mourned his passing on Monday. Carlos Santana called him "a visionary.” Patti Smith thanked him for a half century of "love and support.” Davis' family, in a statement, said he "shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored and championed the greatest artists in modern music history.”
Davis’ influence grew since the 1960s to span genres and labels as he directed the careers of everyone from Barry Manilow to "American Idol” winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. His groundbreaking support for Black artists earned him the NAACP’s Vanguard Award. His exclusive pre-Grammys gala has been an institution since he first threw the party in 1976.
"Clive’s talent has always been seeing and hearing what other people don’t,” former President Barack Obama said in a video message played at this year’s gala.
