Alicia Keys is honoring Clive Davis, the man she says “changed my life forever.” After posting a photo of herself with Clive on her Instagram Story Monday, she shared a post on her feed, reflecting on the impact he had on her life.
“He believed in me from the very beginning, when I was just 18 years old, and very few saw what I was capable of!” Alicia wrote of Clive, who passed away at 94 years old. “He has stood beside me through every chapter that followed. Not just in that fake industry way but in a way that was full of love for how unlimited I could be! He called me a renaissance woman! It’s one of my favorite descriptions. It reminds me to be boundless.”
“If he didn’t see in me the glimmer of what was to become, you and I may have never known each other and be on this deep musical journey,” she wrote. “You will be missed beyond words but I am so grateful to have had you for as long as I did.”
Clive signed Alicia to Arista Records in the late ’90s, before leaving the label to launch J Records. There, he recruited Alicia, who released her Grammy-winning debut album, Songs in A Minor, under his tutelage. They later worked on four more albums together.
Jennifer Hudson, who signed to J Records shortly after her American Idol run and maintained a relationship with Clive, wrote on Instagram, “Yes, he was the legendary music mogul, but he was family to me.”
Dionne Warwick, whose career Clive helped revitalize, said, “I can think of no other record man that seemed to have that magical ability to know a hit when he heard a song.”
Jermaine Dupri called for BET to honor Clive with a special tribute at Sunday’s BET Awards.
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