Clive Davis, a giant of the music industry who for over a half century skillfully guided the careers of dozens of artists, including Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Aretha Franklin, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 94.
Many of the artists he had worked with remembered him for his talent, kindness and creativity.
Barry Manilow
Manilow, mourning the loss of his friend, wrote in a statement that for 50 years he and Davis “worked together, created together, argued together, and celebrated together.” Davis helped bring Manilow his first No. 1 hit, “Mandy.”
“Yes, some would say it was business,” Manilow continued. “But to Clive, it never was. It was family. And I was honored to be a part of his.”
Bruce Springsteen
“At 22 years old, he changed my life when he signed me to Columbia Records,” Springsteen said in a statement. “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.”
Carlos Santana
Santana praised Davis’s ear for music, writing that he could “hear the intangible before anyone else could see it.”
“Clive understood that music is more than entertainment,” wrote Santana, whose 1999 album, “Supernatural,” released on Davis’s label Arista, won nine Grammy Awards. “Music is a healing force. It brings people together beyond fear, beyond separation, beyond borders. He dedicated his life to championing artists and helping them share their gifts with the world.”
Gladys Knight
The soul singer called Davis “an icon” who “did so much for so many.”
“There will never be another Clive,” Knight said in a statement. “He and Whitney are together again, and the heavens are singing.” (Whitney Houston, whose hits like “How Will I Know” were championed by Davis, died in 2012.)
Rod Stewart
Stewart said Davis had been the “only one who believed a rock singer could sing the standards with conviction.”
“Other labels rejected the idea, and so ‘The Great American Songbook’ was born, selling close to 40 million copies,” Stewart added, referring to his five-volume series of popular standards. “We had some wonderful, unforgettable times together, but for now, Mr. Davis, it’s goodbye, my dear friend.”
Patti Smith
Smith, a prominent artist for Arista in the 1970s, thanked Davis for “transforming music” and for “believing in me, shepherding my efforts and a half century of your love and support.”
Rob Thomas
The Matchbox Twenty frontman noted that Davis had been a friend and mentor to him for 27 years, ever since he was featured on Carlos Santana’s “Smooth.”
Thomas wasn’t on Davis’s label, but the music executive still worked hard for Thomas’s success, he said.
“So many people just assumed that I was on Clive’s label, but he was just a strong advocate for his friends,” Thomas said. “Compared to the superstars that Clive worked with and the careers he launched, I was a tiny fish, but he always took time to make me feel special.”
Diane Warren
Warren, known for writing songs like the Aerosmith hit “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” said that losing Davis felt like losing her father.
“Countless artists and songwriters owe everything to you,” she wrote. “I am one of them. Without you I would never have the career I have. I know that.”
Michael Bublé
Bublé, who posted three pictures of Davis in a tribute, said the music executive “wasn’t just a music legend” but “a champion of artists and someone who believed in people and their dreams.”
“Forever grateful for his guidance, his generosity, and the opportunities he gave so many of us,” he said.
Darlene Love
Love, who is known for her 1963 hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. She lauded Davis as “one of the greatest hitmakers” the industry had ever known.
“Thank you for believing in artists, creating timeless music, and leaving an extraordinary legacy that will live on forever,” she added.
Martha Stewart
The television personality and entrepreneur remembered Davis as her friend, mentor and neighbor.
“Not only did he provide us with some of the best performers and their music for more than half a century, he was the kindest, most thoughtful and caring human being,” Stewart said.
Magic Johnson
The N.B.A. legend said he and his wife, Cookie, were saddened to hear that Davis, whom he called a “visionary” with a “golden ear for talent,” had died.
“His Grammy parties will always be a core memory for us, and we’ll cherish all the great times we shared together,” Johnson said.
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