Friends and colleagues shared memories of the great pop impresario Clive Davis and Page Six.
Davis, who has become synonymous with the Grammys, was expected to be honored at the Grammys next year.
“He was really looking forward to it,” said Davis’ friend and restaurateur Max Tucci, who last spoke to him June 8. “I said, ‘We have a lot to do,’ and he said, ‘We’ll do it, we’ll do it.'”
Two weeks later, he passed away peacefully in his sleep.
Nicky Haskell, a “friend of Davis’s since the ’70s,” said the former Columbia Records president was getting ready to go to a concert a few weeks ago when his doctor “told him to go to the hospital instead.” Still, she says: “No one lived a better life than he did…no one lived a better life than he did.”
And, as Haskell says, there’s nothing like the annual pre-Grammys party. Since he started Bash in 1975, it has been the main event before the main event. In 2014, the Grammy Awards recognized the event as the second most coveted ticket in town. “Davis is nothing short of a living legend in the music industry, and his parties are legendary as some of the most star-studded and exciting VIP parties,” the Academy said at the time.
“Over the years, a variety of A-list talent has performed at these events, turning the celebrations into the ultimate intimate ‘insider’ concert,” the paper added.
By discovering artists such as Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, and Alicia Keys, he helped create soundtracks for generations, and the music industry came to know him as “The Man with the Golden Ear.”
But what really influenced Davis’ tastes were the great American songbooks of the early 20th century, said Michael Riedel, a friend of 15 years and former New York Post critic.
“He loved Vincent Youmans, George Gershwin, Cole Porter…His sensibilities knew that music was changing. His mentor was Goddard Lieberson,” Riedel said of the composer who ran Columbia Records from 1956 to 1976.
Davis eventually became president of Columbia Records and established himself as a music mogul by the age of 35. So they signed a young Bruce Springsteen. In a statement to Page Six, Springsteen called Davis “a great record man and a great friend.”
After hearing of Davis’ death, Springsteen said, “When I was 22, he signed me to Columbia Records and changed my life. He treated me from a 22-year-old nobody with the same respect and kindness he treated me after I became successful. A great man. In our prayers and love.”
Joel was another Colombian artist introduced by Davis.
“He recognized the talent of great musicians and understood the power of modern music. I will always be grateful to Clive for recognizing the vital importance of songwriting. There is no doubt that he elevated the music industry during his tenure as president of Columbia Records,” he said.
Davis founded Arista Records in 1974, catapulting Houston into a global pop star and revitalizing Aretha Franklin’s career in the 1980s. Houston tragically passed away in 2012 on the night he was scheduled to attend a pre-Grammy Awards party. The party continued, he told event attendees, because, “Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to continue, and her family asked that the music continue.”
He and Franklin seemed to be best friends until Franklin’s death in 2018. One year, Davis, an avid Page Six reader, reprimanded us for an item in the column he didn’t like, and we witnessed Franklin become furious. He laughed quietly, as did we, as she told us to go back to the office and “hit the person who wrote[it]over the head. Give him a good whack over the head.”
“Clive was loyal to the end,” said Haskell, who was with him at the party.
In addition to Franklin, Davis also revived the career of Dionne Warwick, who was in charge of Arista. In a statement to Page Six on Monday, Warwick described Davis as a “dear friend” who “went above and beyond and lived every moment to the fullest.”
“I’m really going to miss him,” she said.
Tucci said Davis was waiting for him at his Pound Ridge home to attend the annual Memorial Day celebration, but announced that “she called to express her regrets, but she had won an award and was on tour so she had to fly to Germany.”
Ironically, Warwick added in the statement, “He always wanted to know, ‘Where is my Dionne?'” I called him a record company executive with brown shoes and white socks. I can’t think of any other record man who had the magical ability to know a hit song when he heard it. The entire music industry will mourn his passing. He was one of a kind. ”
Davis didn’t just create a music star. Monte and Avery Lipman, co-founders of Republic Records, the music industry’s sibling duo behind stars such as Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande, owe Davis a debt of gratitude for taking over the music industry.
“Avery and I got our start in the music business working for Clive at Arista Records in the late 1980s. Being in his orbit gave us a front row seat to his extraordinary success in discovering and championing legendary artists who are making the world a better place,” said Monte.
Avery’s first job was as Davis’ part-time secretary.
“On my first day on the job, I gave him a list of missed calls and told him that my son had called during a meeting. Clive immediately said, ‘If my kids call, you need to get me right away,'” he said.
“From that day forward, every time one of his children contacted me, I would interrupt a meeting or call, and each time he would stop what he was doing and answer the phone…I will always remember the example he set as a parent, mentor, and leader,” Avery said.
Davis honored his brother at his final pre-Grammy bash in February. “Being able to stand with him after almost 40 years was such a meaningful and fulfilling moment that we will always cherish and cherish in our hearts. We love Clive,” Monte said.
Davis’ last label outing was J Records, the label he founded in 2000 after Arista. The world was introduced to “Songs in a Minor” singer Alicia Keys and “American Idol” winners Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.
Keys and Hudson paid tribute on Monday, with Hudson writing, “We needed some time…this was a huge eye-opener. We know no one lives forever, but Clive’s influence and legacy will live on forever…we will always celebrate your life and legacy.”
Ms. Keyes shared collage art of her and Davis, designed by a graphic artist. It read, “To Clive Davis, the visionary who turned dreams into reality.”
In 2022, Keys helped celebrate his 90th birthday at Casa Cipriani, where she spoke passionately of her family’s love and admiration for Davis. That same year, I was the only journalist to interview Davis for “Extra” at Davis’ Park Avenue apartment. Davis showed no signs of slowing down, as he said, “This is my life. This is what I’m doing, and I’m doing what I love as long as my health allows.”
Davis spent his last few weeks running around New York City doing the things he loved, including going to his favorite restaurants, attending games, and inviting friends to watch the Knicks. On May 29, he was hospitalized with a respiratory infection, forcing him to slow down. Mr. Reidel said he was expected to accompany him to a concert to see Air Supply, the Australian band that helped break into America.
“They had one song that had lyrics that only made sense in Australia. Clive changed one word and was very proud of the fact that he received royalties,” Riedel recalled.
Davis passed away nearly a month later at 10:58 a.m. on June 22, surrounded by his longtime partner Greg Schleifer. “I held his hand as he took his last breath, surrounded by family and dear friends who loved him deeply,” Schriefer said.
Davis came out as bisexual in 2013 and wrote about Schriefer in her autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life.
Schriefer said, “For the past 21 years, Clive has been my partner, my greatest source of inspiration, my teacher, my best friend, and my confidante. We have traveled the world together, shared countless adventures, celebrated life’s greatest joys, and faced life’s challenges together. Every day I spent with him was a gift…Today, the world has lost an icon, and I have lost a loved one.”
Davis is survived by Schriefer and sons Fred, Doug, and Mitchell, daughter Lauren, and eight grandchildren Austin, Charlie, Matthew, Haley, Harper, Sloane, Billy, and Cody, two great-grandchildren, and cousin Joe Schuman.
“To the world, our father was an iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored, and championed some of the greatest artists in the history of modern music, and left an indelible mark on culture for generations,” Schriefer said.
“Throughout every chapter of his remarkable life, his family remained Clive’s greatest pride and deepest joy,” the Davis family said in a statement.
“Today we honor not only a great man who influenced and changed music forever, but also a man who led his family with grace, generosity and kindness. We will miss him deeply and will always cherish him and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives.”
“There will never be anyone like him again. I will miss him more than words can express, and I will carry his love, his wisdom, and the memories of our life with me for the rest of my days. Forever my baby,” Schriefer concluded.
