The music industry is losing one of its most influential figures: Clive Davis died on Monday at the age of 94. His death was confirmed by his longtime spokesperson Aliza Rabinoff. Davis died peacefully from an age-related illness surrounded by his family and loved ones.
For decades, Davis was among the most influential executives in the music business. From 1967 to 1973, he headed Columbia Records, later founding the label Arista Records and in 2000, J Records. Along the way, he signed artists such as Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Dionne Warwick, Alicia Keys, and Maroon 5. He also guided the careers of Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Barbra Streisand, and Whitney Houston, among others. Numerous music stars have already bid farewell to Davis on social media.
Springsteen: He changed my life
Among the first to publicly say goodbye was Bruce Springsteen, whom Davis had once signed to Columbia Records. We mourn the great record man and close friend Clive Davis, the musician wrote in an Instagram post. At 22 years old, Davis changed his life when he signed him. He treated him as an unknown newcomer with the same respect as later during his fame.
Tributes from Santana to Manilow
Carlos Santana also spoke out, calling Davis a visionary. He could hear the intangible before others could even see it. He believed in Santana from the beginning, and years later he believed in us again. That kind of trust is a wonderful blessing, and I will always be grateful for it.
Barry Manilow recalled in an Instagram story a collaboration spanning five decades and emphasized that for Davis, it was never just business, but family. Alicia Keys, who rose to prominence at J Records, shared a photo of the two together in an Instagram story and added a heart and white dove emoji. The account aliciakeysworld originally posted the image, with a caption that read: To Clive Davis, the visionary who turned dreams into reality and left indelible marks on music and people's lives worldwide.
Singer Patti Smith, long signed to Arista, thanked him for believing in her and standing by her side for half a century. Songwriter Diane Warren compared the loss to the death of her father: losing Davis felt like losing her own father. Because you were always family to me.
Additional reactions came from Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and musician and actor Harry Connick Jr., who described Davis as a giant of the music industry.
