LEGEND LOST Clarence Avant dead at 92 – Grammy-award winning pioneer known as ‘Godfather of Black Music’ dies at home.
MUSIC veteran Clarence Avant has died at the age of 92 – less than two years after his wife was killed during a robbery.
Dubbed the Godfather of Black Music, Avant chaired Motown Records in the 1990s and scooped a Grammy for his work.
He died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday.
A statement from his children said: “It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant.
“Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘the Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics, and sports.
“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come.
“The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”
During his career, Avant managed Sarah Vaughan, Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin and Freddie Hubbard.
He also discovered and signed Bill Withers – best known for his hits Ain’t No Sunshine and Just the Two of Us – and promoted Michael Jackson’s first-ever solo tour in 1988, Bad.
When Avant was handed the Ahmet Ertegun Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, Lionel Richie hail him a “master communicator”.
He said: “He’s a teacher, he’s a master communicator, he’s the perfect marriage between street sense and common sense.
“What he did for us, the sons and daughters of the Afro-American community, he brought us some understanding of what the music business was all about.”
Richie was one in a long line of artists and produced Avant advised over the years – including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston and Pharrell Williams.
Avant’s career began in the 1950s as he was entering his 20s when he began to manage Little Willie John and jazz organist Jimmy Smith according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
He also launched Sussex Records in 1969, the record label achieved success with Dennis Coffey’s Scorpio becoming a Top Ten hit.
The music legend was widely known in the music business as Godfather of Black Music and in 2018 he received the President’s Merit Award as a Grammy Icon.
In 2019 Netflix released a documentary on Avant and his life’s work titled The Black Godfather.
The documentary revealed some of Avant’s closest famous friends which include former presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.
Avant’s death comes after his wife Jacqueline was shot dead when burglars raided their Beverly Hills home.
Jacqueline, 81, was gunned down in the early hours of December 1, 2021 and died en route to hospital.
The couple’s daughter Nicole is the former United States Ambassador to the Bahamas and she is married to Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
