Clive Davis, Grammy-Winning Record Producer and Music Executive, Dies at 94

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>>>Clive Davis, the executive who steered Columbia, Arista and J Records to the pinnacle of the pop music business, died Monday at his Manhattan home, Variety has confirmed. He was 94.<<<

https://variety.com/2026/music/peopl...ve-1236787329/

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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/a...avis-dead.html

Legendary music executive and hitmaker Clive Davis has died at age 94. The five-time Grammy winner and Columbia/Arista Records architect passed away peacefully at his home in Manhattan from age-related illnesses. He is survived by his longtime partner, four children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Davis leaves behind a towering, six-decade legacy as a true starmaker and "man with the golden ears". His career highlights include:

• Iconic Discoveries: He nurtured and signed monumental acts spanning rock, pop, and R&B, including Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Billy Joel, and Alicia Keys.
  
• American Idol Connection: Davis championed American Idol champions like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, guiding their early pop career transitions.
  
• Label Innovations: He founded Arista Records in 1974 and J Records in 2000, and co-founded Bad Boy Records alongside Sean "Diddy" Combs.
  
• Cultural Impact: He was one of the first major music titans to advocate for Black artists and a key figure in generating millions for AIDS charities.

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When Clive Davis bought Bell Records and transformed Bell Records into Arista Records in the 70's the very first Bell Records artist he retained and turned into a superstar was Melissa Manchester and because of Clive Davis Melissa Manchester had a top hit with Don't Cry Out Loud and Melissa continued to be Arista Records's top star until 1989 when she left Arista. And soon with stars like Barry Manilow Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick Clive Davis knew that Arista Records would be a success and even with it's joint venture labels Arista Nashville and LaFace Records "with L.A. Reid and Babyface" Clive Davis turned bands like TLC and Carrie Underwood into huge stars. I also remember when Clive Davis founded J Records and he thought J Records would be as successful like Arista LaFace Arista Nashville and Bad Boy Entertainment but I always had viewed J Records as an R&B label because the first artist signed was a singer named Olivia then Alicia Keys followed and because of Clive Davis Alicia Keys would've never been a mega star. Clive Davis was an icon and will be missed