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Legendary record executive Clive Davis died at the age of 94

06/22/2026

U.S. Department of State - https://www.flickr.com/photos/9364837@N06/53375354489/

Legendary record executive Clive Davis died at the age of 94

Legendary American record executive, A&R executive, record producer, and lawyer Clive Davis died at the age of 94. The New York Times reported he died at his Manhattan home on June 22, 2026, at age 94. He was born on April 4, 1932, in New York, NY. He started his career working at Columbia Records.

COLUMBIA RECORDS YEARS

He was hired by a former colleague at the firm, Harvey Schein, to become assistant counsel of CBS subsidiary Columbia Records at 28. Columbia Records Group, group president Goddard Lieberson appointed Davis as administrative vice president and general manager in 1965. In 1967, Davis was appointed president of Columbia Records. He signed Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Columbia went on to sign Laura Nyro, The Electric Flag, Santana, The Chambers Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Billy Joel, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, Aerosmith, and Pink Floyd

He was fired from Columbia Records in 1973. After taking Columbia to number one with groundbreaking signings like Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, and Billy Joel, Davis was fired by CBS. He rebuilt his career, launching Arista Records. Source:

In an obituary, The New York Times called Davis a “Hitmaking Titan of the Music Industry” who became one of “music’s most powerful executives”

ARISTA RECORDS YEARS

He founded Arista Records in 1974. Once he launched Arista Records, he discovered Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, and Carlos.

Under his leadership, he taught Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs everything he knows about the music industry after Diddy was fired from Uptown Records, and many people think he turned Diddy bisexual. He co-founded Bad Boys Records with Diddy. Davis also co-founded LaFace Records with L.A. Reid and Babyface.

J RECORDS & RCA RECORDS

NY Times reported that BMG wanted him to retire. Davis used $150 million in BMG financing to immediately found J Records in 2000. He discovered Alicia Keys and revived Carlos Santana’s career. BMG made Chair and CEO of the RCA Music Group in 2002. He officially stepped back from the CEO role in 2008, transitioning to a Chief Creative Officer role at Sony Music before retiring.