The music industry is mourning the loss of a giant. Legendary record executive Clive Davis, the "Man With the Golden Ear" who discovered and nurtured some of the biggest stars in music history, has died at the age of 94 .

His family confirmed his passing, stating he died peacefully at his Manhattan home on Monday . Davis, a former lawyer who rose to become the president of Columbia Records and later founded Arista Records, leaves behind a legacy that defined modern pop, rock, and soul music for over six decades . He was hospitalised in late May for an upper respiratory issue but had been discharged earlier this month .

Following the news, an outpouring of grief and gratitude came from artists and collaborators whose careers he helped build. Among the most heartfelt tributes came from Diane Warren, the prolific songwriter behind iconic hits for Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Celine Dion.

To Warren, Davis was not just a professional mentor, but family . “Clive was family. Obviously not by blood, but we create our own families,” Warren said in an emotional interview. “In my heart, he was family. It felt like losing my dad, losing another father” . The songwriter, who worked with Davis for more than 40 years, credited him with giving her a career by championing her songs when other executives hesitated .

Warren’s memories of Davis are a mix of profound respect and lighthearted warmth. She recalled how their friendship began with a rejection—Davis didn’t like her first songs—but her persistence eventually led to a legendary partnership . She reminisced about bringing Davis as her date to the Oscars and a funny misunderstanding when he thought she attended therapy for seven hours a day, joking, “I know you’re crazy, Di, but you need that much therapy a day?” 

Beyond the laughs and the record-breaking hits, Warren emphasized that Davis operated on a principle that seems rare in today’s data-driven industry . “A lot of today’s executives, they don’t listen, they look,” she observed. “They look at numbers. They look at Spotify streams, TikTok numbers… All that matters is what makes you feel, what hits you in the heart” . Davis, she said, possessed an innate ability to feel a song's potential, a skill she witnessed firsthand when he would have tears in his eyes after hearing a new track .

Davis’s career was defined by a series of legendary signings. He started as a lawyer for Columbia Records in 1960, but his legal background didn't hold him back . His instinct for talent became apparent when he attended the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and signed Janis Joplin, marking his first major discovery . He went on to shape the careers of Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, and, perhaps most notably, Whitney Houston, whom he signed to Arista in 1983 when she was just a teenager . Houston would go on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time, with Davis playing an integral role in her monumental success .

Despite his accolades, Davis’s journey was not without controversy. He was fired from Columbia Records in 1973 amid allegations of misusing company funds, claims he always denied . He was later charged with tax evasion related to unreimbursed expenses, though most of the charges were dropped . He rebounded by founding Arista Records, which became a powerhouse in the industry, launching stars like Barry Manilow and revitalizing careers of legends like Aretha Franklin .

In 2000, after leaving Arista, Davis founded J Records, where he discovered and signed Alicia Keys, solidifying his reputation for finding talent across multiple generations . He later became the chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment, a role he held until his death .

Throughout his career, Davis won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 . He also wrote a memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, where he publicly came out as bisexual .

Diane Warren offered a fitting final verdict on the man she called a mentor and friend. “Genius, passionate, brilliant, kind,” she said. “We lost the greatest music man of all time today. No one will ever, ever, ever, ever come close to a tenth of what he did” .