Tributes poured in from some of music’s biggest stars after legendary record executive Clive Davis died at 94, with Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel and Carlos Santana honoring the man many credit with changing the course of their careers.
Davis, whose six-decade career helped launch or revive countless artists, died Monday, prompting an outpouring of praise from musicians who worked alongside him.
Springsteen, whom Davis signed to Columbia Records in the early 1970s, remembered the longtime music executive as both a mentor and a friend.
“Over here on E Street, we mourn the death of the great record man and close friend Clive Davis,” Springsteen wrote.
“At 22 years old, he changed my life when he signed me to Columbia Records. 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. All our prayers and love.”
Alicia Keys, whose career blossomed under Davis at J Records, called him “The visionary who transformed dreams into reality.”
“The champion who changed my life. The one who believed in me from the beginning,” she wrote. “Thank you for your unwavering support, your brilliance, your kindness and your faith.”
Billy Joel also reflected on the executive’s impact.
“Clive was a giant, not just in the music business but in life,” Joel said. “He had ears like no one else and gave so many of us opportunities we never would have had without him.”
Carlos Santana remembered Davis as a man who understood music’s power to bring people together.
“Clive Davis was a beacon of light, love and joy,” Santana said. “He knew that music was meant to uplift humanity and unite us all.”
Barry Manilow, who worked with Davis for five decades, wrote that their relationship went far beyond business.
“My heart is heavy with the loss of my friend Clive Davis. For fifty years we worked together, created together, argued together, and celebrated together,” Manilow said. “Yes, some would say it was business. But to Clive, it never was. It was family.”
Known throughout the industry as “the man with the golden ears,” Davis helped shape the careers of Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Aerosmith and Keys. He rose to the top of Columbia Records before later founding Arista Records and J Records, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential executives in music history.
His family announced his death Monday, describing him as “a legend of music whose vision, instinct and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives.”
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