And then old Clive Davis said he\u2019s surely gonna make us a star<\/em>.\u201d)<\/p>\nAfter being fired from CBS in 1973, Davis founded Arista Records, where he continued to enjoy massive success. His signings included Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Patti Smith and, perhaps most famously, Whitney Houston.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Whitney, I was there at her discovery and she just had a natural gift,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWhen I auditioned her in the early 1980s, I heard her sing \u201cGreatest Love of All\u201d for the first time\u2026 She found more meaning in that song than I ever dreamt was there. So, is vulnerability a part of Whitney\u2019s arsenal? Yes. But it\u2019s so much more than any one quality. It\u2019s a combination of all: the range of voice, the power of voice, the dynamic of the voice\u2026\u00a0To emphasize only vulnerability is not to do justice to the elements of what makes an artist great or original.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis continued to pursue other ventures, co-founding LaFace Records with L.A. Reid and Babyface, helping launch the careers of TLC, Usher, Outkast and more. He and Sean \u201cPuffy\u201d Combs founded Bad Boy Records, which became the home of the Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans and more.<\/p>\n
In the 2000s, Davis left Arista and launched the independent label J Records, named after his middle initial (Jay). He later enjoyed stints as the president and CEO of RCA Music Group and chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment.<\/p>\n
Davis won five Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for Santana\u2019s Supernatural, as well as Album of the Year for Houston\u2019s The Bodyguard soundtrack. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award for lifetime achievement.<\/p>\n
Throughout his six-decade career, Davis maintained his passion for discovery and a steadfast belief in the power of music.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic is a necessary ingredient in people\u2019s lives,\u201d he said. \u201cNo matter what revolution is occurring in technology, it has to understand that music will not be obsoleted. People need music, and they\u2019ve needed it for many years in many different ways; whether you go back to church traditions or other traditions in life, whether it\u2019s pop or soul or rock or jazz\u2026 It\u2019s a very, very natural basic ingredient that\u2019s essential to the full enjoyment of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In Memoriam: 2026 Deaths<\/h2>\n\n
A look at those we’ve lost in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n