Music Royalty Bids Farewell to Clive Davis in Moving Service
The funeral for Clive Davis at the Central Synagogue on Monday, June 29th, drew a Who’s Who of musical royalty ranging from Alicia Keys and Barry Manilow to Bruce Springsteen and Dionne Warwick.
| 30 Jun 2026 | 12:06
Attendees converse outside the Central Synagogue on Lexington Ave. after the star studded funeral for Clive Davis, who died last week at the age of 94. In a 66-year career, he discovered musical talent from Whitney Houston to Bruce Springsteen. (
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Musicians Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz leaving the synagogue with their two sons close behind. (
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Jeff Ross (in a bright blue suit), best known for his celebrity roasts, was one of many non-musical celebrities in attendance. (
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Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos (wearing a black suit) and his wife (wearing a black dress) were among the last to leave the ceremony. (
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The music and entertainment industry turned out one last time to give Clive Davis, one of the most revered business executives in the music world, a dramatic sendoff on June 29.
He was a five-time Grammy Award winner and was admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer in 2000. Davis served in the music industry for 66 years, shepherding music icons of multiple generations and launching two successful labels.
He died on June 22 due to “age-related illness,” according to Davis’ rep. Aliza Rabinoff. He was 94.
Music industry royalty turned out for his final sendoff. “He changed my life forever,” said rock legend Bruce Springsteen in a eulogy.
“Clive was the most humble man in the music business,” Springsteen said, eliciting laughter from the crowd of friends and artists who knew otherwise, before he quickly acknowledged: “Not really.”
“Clive was big and bombastic and brave and full of ideas and just believed, believed, believed, believed,” he said. He is credited with discovering Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, and many others, often rejuvenating the careers of faded stars and launching them to new success.
“I can tell you, I adored him,” said Dionne Warwick, one of the stars he helped relaunch to new success years after the Supremes. “He was also asking where’s my Dionne? Well, I’m here today, Clive, for you.”
“There are moments in life that feel like they were written before you ever live them so that something extraordinary can be born. Meeting you was one of those moments for me,” said Alicia Keys, a classically trained pianist who was signed by Columbia Records but, after a dispute with the label, jumped to Davis’s label J Records to release her debut studio album, “Songs in A Minor,” which would sell over 12 million albums.
“He would show me a song, I would turn it down. We would argue, I would rearrange it,” said Barry Manilow, who had a single album flop before he was signed by Arista Records and Davis, and his career took off.
“My heart is heavy with the loss of my friend Clive Davis,” Manilow posted on Instagram. “For fifty years we worked together, created together, argued together, and celebrated together.
“Yes, some would say it was business. But to Clive, it never was. It was family. And I was honored to be a part of his.”
Davis was a Brooklyn native, born in 1931 during the Great Depression in 1932 and lost both of his parents when he was a teenager. He said the hardship taught him early in life the value of hard work.
Once president of Columbia Records at 22 years old, Davis was well known for signing American icons from Springsteen to Janis Joplin. During the ceremony, Springsteen said that Davis never missed a single one of his New York shows.
Later in Davis’ career, he founded Arista Records and J Records and was instrumental in shaping the careers of legendary artists including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Alicia Keys, and Stevie Wonder.
Additional attendees at Davis’ funeral included Jeff Ross, Gayle King, Adrien Brody, Ja Rule, Rob Thomas, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and Pat Houston, sister-in-law of the late Whitney.
The service in Midtown included a musical number by Kenny G and speeches from Davis’ sons, Warwick, Manilow, and Keys in addition to Springsteen. Hudson also performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You,” by Dolly Parton.
Davis served in the music industry for 66 years, shepherding music icons of multiple generations and launching two successful labels.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” said the Davis family. “He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.”
He was laid to rest in a private ceremony following the public funeral.