Luther Vandross
(April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005)
Singer, Songwriter, and Record producer.
He achieved eleven consecutive Platinum albums and eight Grammy Awards Including Best Male R&B vocal Performance four different times. In 2004 he won a total of four Grammy Awards including the Grammy award for Sof of the Year Dance with My Father.
“The Velvet Voice” in reference to his exceptional vocal talent, and was sometimes called “The Best Voice of a Generation
Known as the Voice that wooed women he was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Throughout his career, in was an in demand background vocalist for several different artists including Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer. He later became the lead singer of the group Change which released its certified gold debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. After he left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much in 1981. The album became a mega hit with R&B.
His hit songs include, “Never Too Much”, “Here and Now”, “Any Love”, “Power of Love /LovePower”, “I Can Make It Better” and “For You to Love”. Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such as “If This World Were Mine” (duet with Cheryl Lynn), “Since I Lost My Baby”, “Superstar” and “Always and Forever”. Duets such as “The Closer I Get to You” with Beyoncé, “Endless Love” with Mariah Carey and “The Best Things in Life Are Free” with Janet Jackson were all hits in his career.
During his career, Vandross sold over 25 million records worldwide and received eight Grammy Awards. Including. He won four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, “Dance with My Father”.
Luther Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension, both of which may have been hereditary as well as lifestyle and nutrition. He had just finished the final vocals for the album Dance with My Father in 2003.
Vandross had diabetes and hypertension. On April 16, 2003, he had a severe stroke at his home in New York City[ and was in a coma for nearly two months.[64] The stroke affected his ability to speak and sing and caused him to require a wheelchair.[65] He later regained the ability to walk. At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Vandross appeared in a pre-taped video segment to accept his Song of the Year Award for “Dance with My Father”, saying, “When I say goodbye it’s never for long, because I believe in the power of love“ (Vandross sang the last six words). His mother, Mary, accepted the award in person on his behalf. His last public appearance was on May 6, 2004, on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Vandross died on July 1, 2005, at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, at the age of 54 due to a heart attack.
The estate of legendary R&B singer Luther Vandross has struck a wide-ranging partnership with Primary Wave Music that sees the company acquiring a stake in the late artist’s publishing, master recording income stream, and name and likeness rights. The company will continue a long-term partnership with the estate to manage all assets.
Sources tell Variety the deal is in the $40 million range