
Music industry titan and hitmaker Clive Davis dies at 94
Clip: 6/22/2026 | 3m 21sVideo has Closed Captions
Music industry titan Clive Davis, who turned artists into stars across genres, dies at 94
The music industry lost a titan on Monday. Clive Davis, who nurtured artists across nearly every major genre for more than half a century, has died at the age of 94. Nick Schifrin reports.
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Music industry titan and hitmaker Clive Davis dies at 94
Clip: 6/22/2026 | 3m 21sVideo has Closed Captions
The music industry lost a titan on Monday. Clive Davis, who nurtured artists across nearly every major genre for more than half a century, has died at the age of 94. Nick Schifrin reports.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAnd the music industry lost a titan today.
Clive# Davis nurtured artists across nearly every major## genre for more than half-a-century.
It was once# said Clive Davis lived for 3.5 minutes of magic.
From the debuts of Whitney Houston to Alicia Keys,## he shaped and signed superstars,## Bruce Springsteen, name-dropped by Aerosmith.## Davis was himself a star,# an unparalleled hitmaker.## He rocketed to the top of the industry# and stayed there for almost 70 years.## Davis grew up in Brooklyn the# son of a traveling tie salesman.
CLIVE DAVIS, Record Producer: Never# knew I had ears.
Never knew that I## could hear a hit record, never# knew that I could discover## an artist.
But this is one of the# lucky breaks that occur in life.
NICK SCHIFRIN: He got a scholarship# to Harvard to become a lawyer## and started in Columbia Records'# legal department at the age of 28.## He rose to become its president thanks to# his -- quote -- "golden ear" and struck gold,## embracing the rock 'n' roll revolution,# signing artists including Janis Joplin.
CLIVE DAVIS: I mean, it really# raised the hair on your arms and## sent those proverbial tingles up# your spine.
But there are epiphanies## that can happen in life that change# you.
And this was an epiphany for me.
NICK SCHIFRIN: His career changed throughout,# and at times he became a lightning rod.## In the 1970s, Columbia Records fired# him and accused him of stealing money.## He was charged on a number of# counts and indicted on tax evasion.## He also clashed with some of his artists,# but he always said his focus was the songs.
Across genres and decades, he once said: "I# don't look for hit records.
I look for stars,"## Billy Joel, revitalizing the# career of Aretha Franklin,## and embracing hip-hop and R&B.
CLIVE DAVIS:## This was a golden era for the music industry.# It was certainly a golden era for me.
NICK SCHIFRIN: A music titan who helped provide# the soundtrack of so many people's lives,## Clive Davis was 94 years old.
Still to come on the "News Hour": a new Justice# Department memo questions decades of protections## for people with disabilities; Tamara Keith and Amy# Walter break down the latest political headlines;## and the life and legacy of the late# Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.
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