inal chapter, was one of the greatest privileges of my life. It truly felt like the passing of a king, he continued. Yet beyond the legendary career, the extraordinary accomplishments, and the admiration of millions, to me he was simply my Clive. The world lost an icon today, but I lost the man I loved. There will never be another like him. I will miss him beyond words, and I will carry his love, his wisdom, and the memories of our life together with me for the rest of my days. So long, my babe. 21 Davis' longtime partner, Greg Schriefer (pictured together above in April), shared a heartwarming statement to Page Six dedicated to the love of [his] life. Getty Images 21 Together we traveled the world, shared countless adventures, celebrated life's greatest joys and faced life's challenges side by side, he gushed. Every day with him was a gift. WireImage In a statement from the family, Davis was remembered as their greatest pride and deepest joy throughout every chapter of his remarkable life. To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations, the statement read. To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the center of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love. No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved. The statement concluded, Today, we celebrate not only a towering figure whose influence changed music forever, but the man who led our family with grace, generosity, and kindness. We will miss him greatly, cherish him always, and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives. Bruce Springsteen, who was signed by Davis when the late producer was president of Columbia Records, called Davis a great record man and close friend in a statement to Page Six. At 22 years old, he changed my life when he signed me to Columbia Records, the 76-year-old musician said. He treated me with the same respect and kindness as a 22-year-old nobody as he did after all my success. A great man. All our prayers and love. 21 Billy Joel (pictured center) also remembered Davis (far right) in an exclusive statement to Page Six. WireImage 21 I will always be grateful to Clive for his recognition of the critical importance of songwriting, his statement read in part. He undoubtedly enhanced the stature of the music industry during his tenure as president of Columbia Records. WireImage Meanwhile, Billy Joel (who was also under the Columbia Records umbrella) remembered Davis as someone he'll always be grateful for knowing. Clive Davis convinced me to sign with Columbia Records many years ago. He recognized the talent of great musicians and understood the power of contemporary music, he exclusively told Page Six in a statement Monday. I will always be grateful to Clive for his recognition of the critical importance of songwriting. He undoubtedly enhanced the stature of the music industry during his tenure as president of Columbia Records. Davis sparked concern when he was hospitalized in New York City on May 29, with a source telling TMZ that he was suffering from an upper respiratory infection. Out of an abundance of caution, he was admitted to the hospital, an insider explained, noting that he was expected to be released within 24 hours. Just 10 days before his hospitalization, the iconic producer was spotted at the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards dinner and auction in New York City. 21 Davis, seen above in a throwback photo, became president and founder of Arista Records in 1974. Michael Ochs Archives The Arista Records founder was diagnosed with Bell's palsy in February 2021, with a rep revealing that he was being treated with antibiotics and steroids and was expected to recover within six to eight weeks. Davis established himself as a music mogul after breaking into the business in the early 1960s, and he was appointed president of Columbia Records at the age of 35 in 1967. After visiting the Monterey Pop Festival that year, Davis signed Janis Joplin and her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, to Columbia - his first for the iconic label. He subsequently became founder and president of Arista Records in 1974, a post he held until 2000, when he founded J Records. Under the newly founded Arista label, he personally selected and pitched the 1974 song Mandy to Barry Manilow, becoming the label's first hit record. 21 Davis discovered Whitney Houston (seen above with the record magnate in a throwback photo) in 1983. WireImage 21 He oversaw the careers of multiple music superstars. He's seen above with Dionne Warwick in 2024. Getty Images The hundreds of chart-topping singles overseen by the music legend over the decades include Whitney Houston's Greatest Love of All, Simon Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water, Billy Joel's Piano Man, Santana's Smooth, Alicia Keys' Fallin' and Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, among many others. Davis served as chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment from late 2008 until his death. He was known for his iconic pre-Grammy parties, which began in 1975 and were only interrupted by Davis' 2021 Bell's palsy diagnosis. Though the mogul was forced to postpone the second half of his traditional bash, a rep reassured fans at the time that the party would go on. He is in good spirits and looks forward to doing the second half of his pre-Grammy gala in May, the rep said. 21 Davis was known for his legendary pre-Grammy parties. Getty Images for The Recording Academy 21 All you can really do for an artist is create an opportunity to be seen by tastemakers, he once said. He's seen above in May 2026 with Alicia Keys, Chance the Rapper and Swizz Beatz. Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation In 2014, the Grammys labeled the event the second most coveted ticket in town. Davis is nothing short of a living legend in the music industry, and his parties have become legendary as the most star-studded and excitement-packed of VIP bashes, a release read. Through the years, an array of A-list talents have performed at these events, turning the celebrations into the ultimate, intimate, insider' concerts. Those insiders were nothing short of music's greatest names. Repeat attendees have included John Legend, Joni Mitchell, Manilow, Jennifer Hudson and Dave Grohl. Through the years, other A-listers to drop in have included Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones and Houston. In an interview, Davis once addressed the practical role his pre-Grammy parties had in launching the careers of so many artists. Well, all you can really do for an artist is create an opportunity to be seen by tastemakers, he said. But if they don't have the goods to back it up, it just becomes another social function. The value of the music shouldn't be undermined. 21 The value of the music shouldn't be undermined, he has stated. He's seen here in 1995. Getty Images 21 Houston once called Clive, seen here with a bust of himself in 2022, a constant. Getty Images The exclusive bash has also found itself in the middle of several incidents - including in 2012, when it was the setting for tragedy. On Feb. 11, Houston - by then a Grammy-winning pop and R B juggernaut - was found dead in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton, hours before the gala was set to take place at the same location. Davis opted to move forward with the event, transitioning it into a somber tribute to the pop songstress, whom he discovered when she was a teenager. To put it simply, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on, Davis said at the event, according to the Hollywood Reporter, before asking for a moment of silence for her. Tony Bennett, Alicia Keys and others honored the late singer onstage in the hours following her death. 21 Davis (seen above with Houston at the 2009 Grammy Awards) told Page Six in 2022 the late singer was working on getting sober before her death. WireImage 21 Davis (pictured above with Houston in 2007) told us: She was making a valiant attempt during that period to give up drugs and rehabilitate herself. FilmMagic Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Want celebrity news as it breaks? Check out more newsletters Davis exclusively told Page Six in 2022 that Houston was working on getting sober before she died. She was showing me what she had done in rehab, he told us. How she had given up smoking, how she had cleared her throat of nicotine. And she was wanting to start going in the studio . . . I never would have thought 48 hours before her death, that she would pass, that there would be that horrendous, premature end to her life. Davis added, She was making a valiant attempt during that period to give up drugs and rehabilitate herself. Houston once addressed critics' claims that Davis was pulling the strings behind the scenes in her career. Nobody makes me do anything I don't want to do, she told Rolling Stone back in 1993. Clive and I work well together. We get on each other's nerves sometimes, but we've been together 10 years now. Anybody can get on anybody's nerves over that long a time. Of their personal bond, which saw the magnate mentor her to global superstardom, Houston once said, Clive is a constant. He's my guide and my confidante and he knows the love songs so well. 21 Clive, pictured here with Aretha Franklin, once said of his success, You look for stars. Corbis/VCG via Getty Images 21 The music magnate, seen here in April 2026, said his music career was almost pure luck. WireImage Other stars were equally complimentary, with Carly Simon once saying, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, He's predictable, yet he's forward-thinking. He's remarkable in his stamina. He's very loving, he has a big heart. As for Davis' remarkable eye for talent, he himself simply explained, You look for stars. You look for the makeup of [artists] who can have long-lasting careers and who could be headliners. He also addressed his personal relationships with the stars he's guided, telling the Guardian in 2014, If an artist knows you have respect for their talent - which I have to feel to my core, to sign them - they know that you're in their corner. Still, the staggering influence he's exerted over the industry - he won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000 - was almost happenstance, he once divulged. I had no idea that I was ever getting into music, he told the Guardian. I did not prepare for a music career, and here I've found, out of pure luck, that I did have, not only a talent and an ear, but a passion for music. And I have it to this day. 21 He came out as bisexual in 2013. He's seen here in a throwback portrait. Michael Ochs Archives 21 People need music, he once said in an interview. He's seen above with Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elizabeth Taylor, Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager in 1986. Getty Images On his ability to identify talent, Davis told Playboy magazine in 2013, I didn't necessarily have an ear, but I think I developed one. Whether there was a natural ear that was triggered, I don't know the answer to that. But when you see a Joplin or a Springsteen, you know. And the statistics start mounting and give you confidence. You think, My God, yeah, I did say yes to Santana.' Davis also influenced Barbra Streisand's career. While he never produced one of her songs, he worked with her at Columbia Records and helped her pivot from medleys to her 1971 contemporary pop/rock album Stoney End. At a gala honoring Streisand in 2010, Davis introduced her as the movie soundtrack of our lives. The music magnate was married and divorced twice - to Helen Cohen from 1956 to 1965 and Janet Adelberg from 1965 to 1985. He welcomed son Fred in 1960, daughter Lauren in 1962, son Mitchell in 1970 and son Doug - who is a Grammy Award-winning record producer in his own right - in 1972. 21 Davis (seen above during his pre-Grammys gala in 2024) was married and divorced twice. Getty Images for The Recording Academy 21 The late record producer (pictured above at his pre-Grammys gala in 2014) had four children. WireImage Davis publicly came out as bisexual in 2013 in his memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, at the age of 80. He wrote at the time that he'd been in a strong monogamous relationship with a man for the previous seven years. The record producer once said on The Talks that music is a necessary ingredient in people's lives. No matter what revolution is occurring in technology, it has to understand that music will not be obsoleted, he stated. People need music, and they've needed it for many years in many different ways; whether you go back to church traditions or other traditions in life, whether it's pop or soul or rock or jazz . . . It's a very, very natural basic ingredient that's essential to the full enjoyment of life.