Clive Davis has died at the age of 94.
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As reported by PEOPLE, the news of the legendary music executive's death was confirmed by his rep, Aliza Rabinoff. She said that he "passed away peacefully from age-related illness ... surrounded by his family and loved ones."
This news comes as Davis was admitted to a New York City hospital last month. He was reportedly being treated for an upper respiratory infection.
Who Is Clive Davis?
Davis was born on April 4, 1932. He was raised in Brooklyn and later attended Harvard Law School.
"I was your basic, garden-variety, ambitious, upwardly mobile, hard-working Jewish boy from Brooklyn," he wrote in his 2013 autobiography, titled The Soundtrack of My Life.
In 1967, Davis became the president of Columbia Records after working as its general counsel. It was there that he signed legendary artists like Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Janis Joplin. He was fired by the label in 1973 over misusing funds. He denied the allegations.
Davis said that Columbia's parent company, CBS, knew the allegations were false. He also claimed he became a "sacrificial lamb" after the perpetrator was indicted and stated that payola was taking place at the label and throughout the industry.
Davis Then Founded Arista Records
A year after he was fired by Columbia, Davis founded Arista Records. He signed Barry Manilow, Whitney Houston, and Alan Jackson. He also helped Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, and Aretha Franklin make huge comebacks.
"I was hungry to be a major label," he said in 2022. "I needed multi-platinum, and the only way to get to be multi-platinum is with hit songs."
He added, "I didn't have to wait long because the first record on Arista was 'Mandy.' I gave it to Barry Manilow. It went to number one."
Davis would also help create LaFace Records, which signed 1990s legends TLC and Toni Braxton. He then founded J Records in 2000, which signed Alicia Keys. That same year, Davis was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the time, he was the only non-performer to achieve this.
In addition to his numerous philanthropic efforts, Davis gave $5 million to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University for the creation of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. It was the only program of its kind to educate future music industry leaders.
Davis is survived by his four children.
