Clive Davis, Legendary Music Executive, Dies at 94

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

PEOPLE confirmed news of his death with his longtime spokesperson on Monday, June 22
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Ilana Kaplan,
Sarah Michaud,
Sarah Michaud
Sarah Michaud is the senior news editor of PEOPLE's music vertical. She has been working at PEOPLE for 18 years.
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and
Alexandra Schonfeld
Updated on June 22, 2026 04:06PM EDT
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Clive Davis, five-time Grammy winner and legendary music executive, has died at 94
During his decades-long career in music, Davis helped helped launch Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys to superstardom
Known as the "man with the golden ears," he kept working into his 90s after being appointed the chief creative officer for all of Sony Music Entertainment in 2008

Legendary music executive and producer Clive Davis has died. He was 94.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Davis' longtime rep Aliza Rabinoff said that he "passed away peacefully from age-related illness at the age of 94 at his home in Manhattan on Monday, June 22, surrounded by his family and loved ones."

The New York Times was first to report the news.

Davis had recently been hospitalized in New York City on May 29, and was discharged on June 4. A spokesperson told PEOPLE at the time that he was "in good spirits and happy to be recuperating at home."

In a statement following his death, Davis' family said, "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."

They continued, "Through every chapter of his remarkable life, family remained Clive's greatest pride and deepest joy. Today, we celebrate not only a towering figure whose influence changed music forever, but the man who led our family with grace, generosity, and kindness. We will miss him greatly, cherish him always, and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives."
Clive Davis.

Fadil Berisha

In the past, Davis dealt with various health issues. His annual star-studded pre-Grammy Gala was postponed when he was diagnosed with Bell's palsy in 2021. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the condition is an unexplained but treatable neurological disorder that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face.

The five-time Grammy winner held positions at several major music labels, including Columbia Records, RCA Music Group and BMG. He founded Arista Records in 1974 and served as its president until 2000 when he launched J Records. Known as the "man with the golden ears," Davis signed countless artists who went on to become some of the biggest names in music. In 2008, he was appointed chief creative officer for all of Sony Music Entertainment.

"Clive of course played a seminal role in the story of Sony Music through two incredible chapters, and he is responsible for a huge part of the recorded legacy of the company permanently," said Rob Stringer, Chairman, Sony Music Group in a statement.

"Not only are many, many artists we represent continuously indebted to his service but so many staff members have been influenced and mentored by his deep love and respect for our company which he carried right up until today. Our working lives are better for having had his constant presence in the aura and perception of Sony Music."
Clive Davis (left) and Sly Stone in the 1970s.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Born on April 4, 1932, Davis was raised in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. He earned a scholarship to NYU and later Harvard Law School: "I didn’t have money to go to school without scholarships," he told PEOPLE in 2022.

"I was your basic, garden-variety, ambitious, upwardly mobile, hard-working Jewish boy from Brooklyn," he wrote in his autobiography, per Vanity Fair. His parents died within a year of each other while he was a student at NYU, the outlet reported.

He became the president of Columbia Records in 1967 after first working as the company's general counsel and went on to sign artists including Janis Joplin, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire. Things took a turn in 1973 when he was fired from the company amid allegations of misusing funds — which he denied.

"That was obviously a traumatic period. One's life doesn't go up, up and up," he said during a talk at 92NY in 2013, adding, "There was someone in the company that was fraudulently signing invoices [and] ended up going to jail. I never appointed him, he didn't report to me, but I delegated to him, and apart from hundreds of other invoices, he falsified two or three of my invoices, one of which has gotten publicity through the years as though I was trying to charge my son's bar mitzvah to the company — totally untrue."
Barry Manilow (left) and Clive Davis in 1978.Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Time Life Pictures/Getty

Davis said CBS — which owned Columbia Records — knew the allegations were false, but when the perpetrator was indicted and claimed there was payola going on "in the industry and throughout Columbia Records," Davis became a "sacrificial lamb."

He faced financial strife during this time, Vanity Fair reported, and improved his finances with a contract to write the 1975 autobiography Clive: Inside the Record Business.

The year after he was fired by CBS, in November 1974, he started Arista Records with Columbia Pictures. Over the next three decades at his new label, he kicked off the careers of music greats including Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Whitney Houston, Alan Jackson and more, while navigating big comebacks for Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and Carlos Santana.

"When I started Arista, I was no longer heading the number one label in the industry. It was a brand-new company, starting from scratch. I was hungry to be a major label. I needed multi-platinum, and the only way to get to be multi-platinum is with hit songs," he told PEOPLE in 2022. "I didn't have to wait long because the first record on Arista was 'Mandy.' I gave it to Barry Manilow. It went to No. 1."

Clive Davis (left) and Bruce Springsteen in 2017.Clive Davis/Instagram

He helped to form LaFace Records in 1989 with L.A. Reid and Babyface and signed artists like TLC, Toni Braxton and Pink. In 1994, he teamed up with a then-relatively unknown Sean Combs for a 50/50 joint venture that led to the creation of Bad Boy Records, one of the most successful hip-hop/rap labels of the decade. Its roster included the Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112 and Combs himself.

In 2000, Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the only non-performer at the time. That same year, he announced the formation of J Records, which signed artists including Alicia Keys, who was on hand to sing a special version of "Happy Birthday" at Davis' 90th birthday gala in 2022.

"It was one of the greatest, if not the greatest night of my life," he told PEOPLE of the party.

Clive Davis at the Apollo Theater Spring Benefit in New York City in June 2025.

Shahar Azran/Getty


After splitting from his second wife in 1985, Davis "opened myself up to the possibility of a relationship with a man," he told PEOPLE. The father of four revealed in his 2013 memoir The Soundtrack of My Life that he was bisexual and that he was in a relationship with a man at the time. In the book, he said those closest to him knew about his sexual orientation. He wanted to share it with the world because, he told PEOPLE, "This is the story of my life. I knew I was going to include that important part of it."

Davis, who was honored by philanthropic organizations such as the T.J. Martell Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Cancer Society, gave a $5 million gift to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University for the creation of a new department.

The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music was the first and only program of its kind providing education for future music industry leaders.

Davis is survived by his four children — sons Doug, Mitchell and Fred Davis and daughter 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.