Clive Davis, the legendary record executive who helped turn some of the biggest names in music into global superstars, has died at 94.
The five-time Grammy winner passed away peacefully Monday, June 22, at his home in Manhattan after an age-related illness, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE by his longtime spokesperson, Aliza Rabinoff.
Davis was surrounded by his family and loved ones at the time of his death.
The music titan, often called the “man with the golden ears,” had recently been hospitalized in New York City on May 29 before being discharged on June 4. At the time, his spokesperson said he was in good spirits and happy to be recovering at home.
His family remembered him not only as a towering figure in the music industry, but as a beloved father and grandfather.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” his family said in a statement.
They added that Davis discovered, mentored and championed some of the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving behind a mark on culture that “will endure for generations.”
But behind the fame and awards, his family said Davis was simply “Dad and Granddaddy,” a steady and loving presence who never forgot what mattered most.
“No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved,” the statement continued.
Davis’ influence on American music is almost impossible to overstate.
Over his decades-long career, he helped launch or revive the careers of Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Barry Manilow, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Toni Braxton, Pink, TLC and many more.
He held top positions at major labels including Columbia Records, RCA Music Group and BMG. He founded Arista Records in 1974 and later launched J Records in 2000.
In 2008, Davis was named chief creative officer for all of Sony Music Entertainment, a role that kept him active in the business well into his 90s.
Born April 4, 1932, Davis grew up in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. He earned scholarships to NYU and Harvard Law School, later saying he could not have afforded school without financial help.
“I was your basic, garden-variety, ambitious, upwardly mobile, hard-working Jewish boy from Brooklyn,” he wrote in his autobiography, according to Vanity Fair.
Davis suffered tragedy early in life when both of his parents died within a year of each other while he was still a student at NYU.
He began his career as a lawyer before rising to become president of Columbia Records in 1967. It was there that he became one of the most powerful men in the music business, signing or helping guide artists who would dominate radio for decades.
But his climb was not without scandal.
In 1973, Davis was fired from Columbia Records amid allegations that he misused company funds, claims he strongly denied for the rest of his life.
He later said he became a “sacrificial lamb” after another company employee was accused of fraud. Davis said the idea that he tried to charge his son’s bar mitzvah to the company was “totally untrue.”
The setback could have ended his career. Instead, Davis came roaring back.
In 1974, he started Arista Records, building it from scratch into one of the most important labels in America. One of its first massive hits was Barry Manilow’s “Mandy,” which shot to No. 1.
“When I started Arista, I was no longer heading the number one label in the industry,” Davis told PEOPLE in 2022. “It was a brand-new company, starting from scratch. I was hungry to be a major label.”
Arista became home to a stunning roster of stars, including Manilow, Patti Smith, Whitney Houston and Alan Jackson. Davis also helped spark major comebacks for Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and Carlos Santana.
In 1989, he helped create LaFace Records with L.A. Reid and Babyface, leading to major success with TLC, Toni Braxton and Pink.
In 1994, Davis partnered with a then-rising Sean Combs in a 50/50 venture that created Bad Boy Records. The label became one of the defining forces in 1990s hip-hop and R&B, with stars including the Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112 and Combs himself.
Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, becoming the only non-performer to hold that distinction at the time.
That same year, he launched J Records, where he signed Alicia Keys. Years later, Keys performed a special version of “Happy Birthday” at Davis’ 90th birthday gala in 2022.
Davis later called the celebration “one of the greatest, if not the greatest night” of his life.
In 2013, Davis made headlines for another personal revelation. In his memoir The Soundtrack of My Life, he publicly shared that he was bisexual and said he had opened himself up to the possibility of a relationship with a man after splitting from his second wife in 1985.
“This is the story of my life,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “I knew I was going to include that important part of it.”
Davis also battled health issues in his later years. In 2021, his famous pre-Grammy Gala was postponed after he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a neurological condition that can cause weakness or paralysis on one side of the face.
Even so, Davis remained one of the most respected and visible figures in music.
He was honored by several philanthropic organizations, including the T.J. Martell Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Cancer Society. He also donated $5 million to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to help create the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
Davis is survived by his four children, Doug, Mitchell, Fred and Lauren; eight grandchildren, Austin, Charlie, Matthew, Hayley, Harper, Sloane, Billie and Cody; two great-grandchildren; his cousin Jo Schuman; and his longtime partner, Greg Schriefer.
For generations of fans, Clive Davis was not just a record executive.
He was the man behind the voices, the hits and the stars that helped define American music.