Singer Luther Vandross Has Died

[Jenya]

Here's The Link. I guess the story has not been released just yet.

[Brent88]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Vandross

[Dean Winchester]

OMG, that is very sad news. Especially considering Luther had been recovering so well from his stroke

[Tuesday Weld]

I'm very sorry to hear that, I liked him.

[David]

RIP Luther.

[moeee]

[Jrnygrl]

Jenya thanks for posting this. I just heard the news.

This is just so, so, sad!

REST IN PEACE LUTHER!!!! YOU WILL BE MISSED IN THE MUSIC WORLD!!!!

[vashti1999]

I'm extremely sorry to hear this. Luther was definitely one of my favorites. The weird thing is even before his stroke, I was concerned about him because he was a yo-yo dieter. I always figured putting on and dropping weight as he did couldn't be a good thing to keep putting his body through. A great voice silenced, he'll be missed.


Luther Vandross dies at age 54
Famer R&B crooner faced setback after stroke in 2003

BREAKING NEWS
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:54 p.m. ET July 1, 2005


Grammy award winner Luther Vandross, whose deep, lush voice on hits like "Here and Now" and "Any Love" sold more than 25 million albums while providing the romantic backdrop for millions of couples worldwide, died Friday. He was 54.

Vandross died at 1:47 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, N.J., said hospital spokesman Rob Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh did not release the cause of death.

Since suffering a stroke in his Manhattan home on April 16, 2003, the R&B crooner stopped making public appearances — but amazingly managed to continue his recording career. In 2004, he captured four Grammys as a sentimental favorite, including best song for the bittersweet “Dance With My Father.”

Vandross, who was still in a wheelchair at the time, delivered a videotaped thank you.

"Remember, when I say goodbye it's never for long," said a weak-looking Vandross. "Because" -- he broke into his familiar hit -- "I believe in the power of love."

Vandross, in addition to his stroke, battled weight problems for years while suffering from diabetes and hypertension.

He was arguably the most celebrated R&B balladeer of his generation. He made women swoon with his silky yet forceful tenor, which he often revved up like a motor engine before reaching his beautiful crescendos.

Vandross was a four-time Grammy award winner for Best Male R&B Performance, taking home the trophy in 1990 for the single "Here and Now," in 1991 for his album "Power of Love," in 1996 for the track "Your Secret Love" and a last time for "Dance With My Father."

A genteel style
The album, with its single of the same name, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts while Vandross remained hospitalized from his stroke. It was the first time a Vandross album had topped the charts in its first week of release.

In 2005, he was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for a duet with Beyonce on "The Closer I Get To You."

Vandross' sound was so unusual few tried to copy it; even fewer could.

"I'm proud of that -- it's one of the things that I'm most proud of," he told The Associated Press in a 2001 interview. "I was never compared to anyone in terms of sound."

Vandross' style harkened back to a more genteel era of crooning. While many of his contemporaries and successors belted out tunes that were sexually charged and explicit, Vandross preferred soft pillow talk and songs that spoke to heartfelt emotions.

"I'm more into poetry and metaphor, and I would much rather imply something rather than to blatantly state it," he said. "You blatantly state stuff sometimes when you can't think of a a poetic way to say it."


A career in music seemed predestined for the New York native; both his parents were singers, and his sister, Patricia, was part of a 1950s group called the Crests.

But he happily toiled in the musical background for years before he would have his first hit. He wrote songs for projects as varied as a David Bowie album ("Fascination") and the Broadway musical "The Wiz" ("Everybody Rejoice (Brand New Day)"), sang backup for acts such as Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand, and even became a leading commercial jingle singer.

Vandross credited singer Roberta Flack for prodding him to move into the spotlight after listening to one of his future hits, "Never Too Much."

"She started crying," he recalled. "She said, 'No, you're getting too comfortable (in the background). ... I'm going to introduce you to some people and get your career started."'

Vandross' first big hit came as the lead vocalist for the group Change, with their 1980 hit, "The Glow of Love." That led to a recording contract with Epic Records, and in 1981, he made his solo recording debut with the disc "Never Too Much." The album, which contained his aching rendition of "A House is Not a Home," became an instant classic.

Over the years, Vandross would emerge as the leading romantic singer of his generation, racking up one platinum album after another and charting several R&B hits, such as "Superstar," "Give Me The Reason," and "Love Won't Let Me Wait."

‘America, the world, has heard the voice’
Yet, while Vandross was a household name in the black community, he was frustrated by his failure to become a mainstream pop star. Indeed, it took Vandross until 1990 to score his first Top 10 hit -- the wedding staple "Here & Now."

"I just wanted more success. I didn't want to suddenly start wearing blond wigs to appeal to anyone," he told the AP. "This is the same voice that sang Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, NBC 'proud as a peacock,' ... America, the world, has heard the voice, so there's no reason that that music shouldn't have gone the complete distance, I mean, to number one."

Another frustration for Vandross was his lifelong battle with obesity. Health problems ran in his family, and Vandross struggled for years to control his waistline. When he first became a star, he was a hefty size; a few years later, he was almost skinny. His weight fluctuated so much that rumors swirled that he had more serious health problems than the hypertension and diabetes caused by his large frame.

Vandross' two sisters and a brother died before him. The lifelong bachelor never had any children, but doted on his nieces and nephews. The entertainer said his busy lifestyle made marriage difficult; besides, it wasn't what he wanted.

© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Miss Golden]

Really a sad day, he could be the best R & B singer ever. Luther's loss is one of the biggest ever to the whole music industry. I will truly miss him. Ever since his stroke in April 2003, he has not made any appearances except for a brief satellite interview from his home on an episode of Oprah about a year ago. The stroke really took everything out of him. Now he will no longer be suffering.

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Luther Vandross dead at 54

Friday, July 1, 2005; Posted: 6:51 p.m. EDT (22:51 GMT)


(CNN) -- Legendary R&B artist Luther Vandross died Friday, CNN has confirmed. He was 54 years old.

The popular crooner suffered a debilitating stroke in April 2003. Even so, his album "Dance With My Father," co-written with Richard Marx, sold nearly a million copies in its first month of release that June. And the album won him four Grammy Awards, half his lifetime total, including song of the year.

Vandross' songs and emotionally charged ballads carry a signature soulful, silky sound.

It was after a chance meeting with David Bowie at a recording studio that Vandross was asked to sing backup on Bowie's hit 1975 album, "Young Americans."

Later, Vandross would serve as Bowie's opening act

Vandross also sang backup for Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand, while lending his voice to commercial jingles.

When record companies rejected him, Vandross used his own money to produce his 1981 debut album, "Never Too Much."

It went on to top the R&B charts and sold 2 million copies.

Other hit singles followed, like "Any Love" and "Here and Now."

Vandross struggled with health and image problems, claiming that he lost 100 pounds -- 13 times. He suffered from diabetes and hypertension but refused to slow down until his stroke two years ago.

CNN's Brooke Anderson and Todd Leopold contributed to the report.

[Lee]

Sad.

[Sara Micelli]

Rest in peace, Luther.

[Janice]

This is very sad news. I love his music. Strokes are a terrible thing. Claimed Barry White's life too.

[Mr. Television]

R.I.P. Luther.

[vashti1999]

Luther discography

[vashti1999]

Luther discography 2