Music Industry Veteran Clive Davis Passes At 94

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Clive Davis.

Clive Davis passed away today (June 22) at his home in Manhattan. He was 94.

A Brooklyn, New York native, Davis graduated from Harvard Law School in 1956 and began as an in-house lawyer at Columbia Records a few years later. He rose to President of the company in 1967.

In 1974, he took charge of the Bell label and renamed it Arista, signing artists including Patti Smith, the Kinks, Lou Reed, Gil Scott-Heron and Aretha Franklin. In 1983, he signed Whitney Houston, who he championed for the rest of her career. He co-founded Arista Nashville in 1989 with Tim DuBois, which became the home to Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Pam Tillis and Brad Paisley among many others.

In 2000, he founded J Records, which launched the careers of Alicia Keys and Maroon 5.

Also in 2000, Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a nonperformer. In 2002, he endowed the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, an undergraduate music industry program at N.Y.U.’s Tisch School of the Arts with a $5 million donation. Davis was well known for his annual Grammy Awards parties, which he began 1976. The events were often attended by A-list musicians, politicians and more.

Davis is survived by his four children, eight grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his partner, Greg Schriefer.

“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 shared 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. 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. 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.”

Lauryn Sink
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