DER US-AMERIKANISCHE TALENTENTDECKER UND MUSIKPRODUZENT CLIVE DAVIS IST GESTORBEN

Der am 4. April 1932 in Brooklyn (New York City) geborene US-amerikanische Talententdecker Clive Jay Davis (Bild) ist am 22. Juni 2026 in Manhattan (NYC) gestorben. Er war Gründer von Arista Records und CEO von J Records und wurde im Jahr 2000 Mitglied der Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in der Kategorie «Non-Performer». Clive Davis war für über 300 Nr.1-Titel verantwortlich und Entdecker von zahlreichen Musiker:innen, darunter Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys, Janis Joplin und Aerosmith. Davis erhielt den Grammy Trustees Award im Jahr 2000 und den President’s Merit Award bei den Grammys 2009. Im Jahr 2011 wurde das Theater im Grammy Museum als Clive Davis Theatre bezeichnet. (*)

Clive Davis, 2023 - Foto: U.S. Department of State, https://www.flickr.com/photos/9364837@N06/53375354489/ - Public domain - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clive_Davis_speaks_during_the_Kennedy_Center_Honors_Dinner_at_the_State_Department_in_Washington,_D.C._on_December_2,_2023_-_(cropped).jpg

Bild: Clive Davis, 2023 – Foto: U.S. Department of State, https://www.flickr.com/photos/9364837@N06/53375354489/ – Public domain – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clive_Davis_speaks_during_the_Kennedy_Center_Honors_Dinner_at_the_State_Department_in_Washington,D.C._on_December_2,_2023-_(cropped).jpg

Clive Davis, Music Executive Who Signed Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, Dead at 94

Arista and J Records founder helped shape the careers of Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin, Alicia Keys and Carrie Underwood, among many others

Davis’ legacy in the music business spanned a remarkable seven decades across varying genres of music. After being named president of Columbia Records in 1967 at age 35, Davis scored hits in each successive decade with a diverse group of now-iconic artists including Joplin, Barry Manilow, Houston, the Grateful Dead, The Notorious B.I.G., Keys and Kelly Clarkson.

“He’s the ultimate long-term player,” Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s manager, told Rolling Stone in 2008. “He was a label head in the 1960s. He was on top then, and now, 40 years later, is still on top — that’s remarkable. I do not think you’ll see that happen again.”

In a statement, Davis’ family wrote, “To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. 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.”

Dan Hyman

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/clive-davis-arista-dead-obituary-203584

Clive Davis, Music Industry Titan Who Signed Whitney Houston, Dies at 94

He rose from a midlevel position at Columbia Records to become one of music’s most powerful executives, shepherding stars like Barry Manilow and Whitney Houston.

Clive Davis, the music executive who rose from a midlevel legal position at Columbia Records to become one of the industry’s most powerful and longest-reigning dons, guiding the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow and dozens of other stars, died on Monday at his home in Manhattan.

One of the few nonperformers in music to become a household name, Mr. Davis maintained a visible role as a starmaker for half a century. In the late 1960s he propelled a reluctant Columbia headlong into the rock era with acts like Janis Joplin and Blood, Sweat & Tears. He also encouraged the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis to connect with the Woodstock generation.

Later, at the Arista and J labels, he championed R&B-leaning pop divas like Ms. Houston, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson; seized on the commercial potential for hip-hop; and orchestrated major career revivals for Carlos Santana and Rod Stewart, with albums selling in the millions.

Ben Sisario

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/arts/music/clive-davis-dead.html

RIP Clive Davis, 94, Genius Mega Music Mogul with Golden Ears Legacy from Janis Joplin to Whitney, Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Patti Smith, More

Vital til the end, Clive leaves an incredible legacy in the culture of pop music from discovering Janis Joplin at the Monterey Music Festival to working with jazz greats like Miles Davis, putting Santana and Earth Wind & Fire on the map, not to mention successes with Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan — to name a few.

Of course, Clive will be remembered for reviving the careers of Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick at his Arista Records, where his successes also included Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart singing the classic American songbook, and his first star at that label, Barry Manilow.

Roger Friedmann

RIP Clive Davis, 94, Genius Mega Music Mogul with Golden Ears Legacy from Janis Joplin to Whitney, Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Patti Smith, More

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

Davis was so well known in the music industry that he was usually referred to, respectfully, by his first name alone, like such other renowned execs as “Ahmet” (Ertegun, of Atlantic) and “Mo” (Ostin, of Warner Bros.).

Noted for his personal elegance, extravagant style and love of the limelight, Davis for years hosted a lavish annual Grammy Week party that was the music business’ most coveted social ducat. The event, featuring live performances by marquee names and loquaciously MCed by Davis, became an official Recording Academy function in 2009. Always a showcase for superstars and rising musical talent, the “Clive Party” also featured such regulars as Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Jane Fonda as well as musicians.

Chris Morris

https://variety.com/2026/music/people-news/clive-davis-dead-producer-music-executive-1236787329/

Clive Davis, Legendary Music Executive, Dies at 94

Davis was responsible for launching artists like Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys to superstardom

Known as “The Man With the Golden Ears,” Davis became an industry icon for helping shape the popular sound of genres including pop, rock, R&B and hip-hop during a career that spanned more than 60 years. In the process, he signed, mentored and/or worked closely with such legendary artists as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Alan Jackson, Luther Vandross, Kenny G, Usher, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, Rod Stewart and Jennifer Hudson. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and received a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy in 2000.

Chris Eggertsen

https://www.billboard.com/pro/clive-davis-death-legendary-music-executive-dead-94

Clive Davis, music mogul behind Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, dies aged 94

Among those paying tribute was Bruce Springsteen

In a post on Instagram, the Born in the USA singer said that he was mourning the death of «the great record man» and a «close friend». «At 22 years old, he changed my life when he signed me to Columbia Records,» Springsteen wrote. «He treated me with the same respect and kindness as a 22-year-old nobody as he did after all my success. A great man.»

Another former client and rock iconoclast Patti Smith also posted on Instagram following news of his death. «Thanking Clive Davis for transforming music, and on a very personal note, for believing in me, shepherding my efforts and a half century of your love and support.»

Mark Savage

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vy3e6q90qo

Clive Davis predicted music’s biggest stars like no one else

Clive Davis always claimed that his life in the music business was really kickstarted when he chose to attend the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival: it was there he saw Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and immediately bought their contract for $200,000, the first really high-profile signing of his career. But Davis was an unlikely fit at the most high-profile event of the Summer of Love: he was a Harvard-educated lawyer who had been “shocked” when a restructuring of Columbia Records saw him promoted from general counsel to the company’s president. He was sharp enough to spot which way the pop cultural wind was blowing – “a revolution in culture and philosophy”, he later recalled, “the Haight-Ashbury scene, with love peace and flowers” – but he was no one’s idea of a hippy. Amid a sea of paisley, batik, love beads and bells, Davis turned up to the festival clad in “khaki pants and a tennis sweater”.

Alexis Petridis

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jun/22/clive-davis-appreciation

Muere a los 94 años el legendario Clive Davis, ejecutivo musical con oído infalible que fichó a Whitney Houston y a Bruce Springsteen

El estadounidense contrató y apoyó a muchos de los músicos más emblemáticos del siglo XX y estuvo al frente de importantes discográficas como Columbia, Arista, J Records, de Sony o el Grupo RCA

https://elpais.com/cultura/2026-06-22/muere-a-los-94-anos-el-legendario-clive-davis-ejecutivo-musical-con-oido-infalible-que-ficho-a-whitney-houston-y-a-bruce-springsteen.html

Clive Davis, morto il produttore musicale di Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston e Alicia Keys

È stato uno dei boss più potenti e longevi dell’industria musicale, con il suo lavoro ha forgiato le carriere di artisti come Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys e ha orchestrato importanti rilanci per Carlos Santana e Rod Stewart, con album che hanno venduto milioni di copie.

È morto, nella sua casa di Manhattan a 94 anni il produttore Clive Davis. Fondatore dell’etichetta Arista Records, J Records, Davis è membro della Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ed è stato a lungo direttore operativo della Sony Music.

https://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2026/06/22/news/clive_davis_produttore_springsteen_aretha_franklin_morto-425427295

Le producteur Clive Davis, qui avait notamment découvert Whitney Houston, est mort à 94 ans

Aretha Franklin l’avait qualifié de «plus grand producteur de disques de tous les temps». De Janis Joplin à Earth, Wind & Fire, d’Aerosmith à Billy Joel, de Patti Smith à Alicia Keys, il a découvert, encadré et propulsé vers le succès un grand nombre d’artistes parmi les plus célèbres de la seconde moitié du XXᵉ siècle.

Né le 4 avril 1932 à Brooklyn, Clive Davis aimait la musique, mais n’envisageait pas d’en faire son métier à l’origine. Avocat de formation, il était entré dans l’industrie du disque comme juriste chez Columbia Records, avant de passer à la direction et d’en devenir le patron en 1966.

Accusé d’avoir détourné des fonds à des fins personnelles et licencié en 1973, celui qu’Aretha Franklin avait qualifié de «plus grand producteur de disques de tous les temps» avait fondé un autre label, Arista, l’année suivante. Il a œuvré par la suite chez Sony Music Entertainment.

Le Monde avec AFP

https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2026/06/22/le-producteur-clive-davis-qui-avait-notamment-decouvert-whitney-houston-est-mort-a-94-ans_6708094_3246.html

Davis prägte Musikgeschichte der vergangenen Jahrzehnte mit

Neben Houston und Manilow förderte Davis auch Stars und Bands wie Janis Joplin, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys und Aerosmith – und prägte damit die Musikgeschichte der vergangenen Jahrzehnte entscheidend mit. Zu seinem 90. Geburtstag hatte sich der Produzent selbst noch eine riesige Party in New York mit Dutzenden Stargästen und eine Mini-Dokuserie geschenkt. Ansonsten hatte er sich aber bereits weitgehend aus der Öffentlichkeit herausgezogen.

dpa

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/musik-er-entdeckte-whitney-houston-musikproduzent-clive-davis-tot-15743052.html

Videos:

Clive Davis Shares His Advice That Made Bruce Springsteen’s Career