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SOURCE: usatoday.com
Clive Davis, one of the most influential record moguls in music history and the mastermind behind the careers of Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Earth, Wind & Fire, Alicia Keys and dozens of other artists, has died at 94.
A representative for Davis confirmed in a statement shared with USA TODAY that he “passed away peacefully from age-related illness” at his Manhattan home on June 22, “surrounded by his family and loved ones.” Davis had recently been hospitalized for an upper respiratory infection.
With his omnipresent tinted glasses, dense Brooklyn accent and natty suits, Davis presented the image of an industry titan for seven decades.
He was both beloved by artists – “he’s like family to us,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s Verdine White told USA TODAY in 2021 – and maintained an unwavering affection for the music industry deep into his career.
“I found, by accident, a role for music in my life that became a natural part of me and I realized I had a natural gift for discovering artists,” Davis told USA TODAY in 2022, shortly before his 90th birthday. “Everybody faces challenges, but the importance of the work ethic, of keeping the bar up there for the standard of excellence – I feel that was very much a part of my life.”
Manilow, whose career ignited in 1974 with “Mandy” – a song Davis brought to him as a rock track with the title “Brandy” – says that initial experience led to a 50-plus-year relationship with Davis as professionals and friends.
“When I did my version of what we changed to ‘Mandy’ in one take with the vocal and piano and then added strings and horns and drums, that was the big moment for Clive to figuring out my strength,” Manilow told USA TODAY in 2026. “It’s been a lot of arguing over the years, but we both respect each other. It’s been a decent relationship when it comes to the music. And then it’s been an even better one as friends.”
Even as he aged, Davis was still deeply involved in choosing talent for his annual Pre-Grammy Gala. Days before the show, he could be found in his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, poring over his comments for that year’s event and talking excitedly about the newcomers he’d plucked to perform alongside legends.
“It’s not a matter of that I still want to be part of [the industry], I just am. And I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he told USA TODAY in a 2024 interview in his hotel suite.
Clive Jay Davis was born April 4, 1932, in Brooklyn, New York. After the death of his parents while Davis was in his teens, he moved to Queens, New York, to live with his sister.
His scholastic endeavors brought him first to New York University College of Arts and Science, where he earned a degree in political science, then to Harvard, where he received a full scholarship and graduated in 1956.
Davis’ career began not as a music impresario, but a lawyer. In 1960, Davis joined the legal department of Columbia Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records, as a contract lawyer. His business acumen – such as successfully renegotiating a contract for Bob Dylan – caught the attention of CBS Records honcho Goddard Lieberson, and in 1967, Davis was appointed head of Columbia Records.
For years, Davis unearthed musical talent that would escalate into landmark artists: Janis Joplin, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Chicago, Pink Floyd, Earth, Wind & Fire and Aerosmith were but a handful of his discoveries.
Davis’ ability to pinpoint talent was often tied to his nose for commercial success and ear for hits.
“If it wasn’t for Clive and Columbia Records in 1972, Earth, Wind & Fire as you know it today just wouldn’t be here on this level,” the band’s Ralph Johnson told USA TODAY in 2026. “He had vision, and it was his vision in conjunction with [band founder] Maurice White’s vision that made it happen. It was one of the greatest relationships ever.”
But despite his innate ability for star making, Davis’ early career was tainted by a scandal.
In 1973, Davis was fired from CBS/Columbia after a government investigation into the financial irregularities in the record industry found that he used company money for personal expenses. A civil suit filed against him charged Davis with illegally spending almost $94,000 in corporate funds for items including a bar mitzvah for his son at the Plaza Hotel and redecorating his Central Park West apartment, according to The New York Times.
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