Music giant Clive Davis’ last public appearance was at a star-studded fundraising event just weeks before his tragic death.
The Arista Records founder attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City on May 19th.
He was all smiles as he shared a table with music icons Alicia Keys, Chance the Rapper and Swizz Beatz.
Davis also posed at a table alongside Huma Abedin and Salamisha Tillett.
He looked dapper for the outing in a classic suit and tie.
The talent agent passed away on Monday at the age of 94, his family confirmed to Page Six.
The cause of death was not disclosed, but the businessman was hospitalized on May 29, just 10 days after the incident.
At the time, he was hospitalized “out of an abundance of caution with an upper respiratory infection,” a source told TMZ.
Davis was scheduled to be released in 24 hours.
The iconic producer, who has worked with the likes of Whitney Houston, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Kelly Clarkson, was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in 2021.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines the condition as “a neurological disorder that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face,” causing partial facial paralysis, “drooping of the eyebrows and mouth,” and difficulty closing one eye.
After Davis’ diagnosis, his representative said he was “expected to recover within six to eight weeks” with the help of “antibiotics and steroids.”
Davis began his career in the music industry in the 1960s and was appointed president of Columbia Records in 1967 at the age of 35.
His first major contract was with Janis Joplin’s band Big Brother and the Holding Company after discovering the group at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Davis then founded his own company, Arista Records, in 1974, followed by J Records in 2000.
Hit songs directed by Davis include Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You Been Gone,” Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” and Santana’s “Smooth.”
Davis, who came out as bisexual in 2013, was married to Helen Cohen from 1956 to 1965, with whom he had children Fred and Lauren. and to Janet Adelberg, who shared Doug with Mitchell from 1965 to 1985.
In her memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, Davis admitted to having been in a “strongly monogamous relationship” with an unnamed man for seven years.
