Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Clive Davis on Aretha Franklin: “She was a national treasure to be cherished by every generation throughout the world”

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Clive Davis has posted a message on Twitter about Aretha Franklin.

He wrote: “I’m absolutely devastated by Aretha’s passing. She was truly one of a kind. She was more than the Queen of Soul. She was a national treasure to be cherished by every generation throughout the world. Apart from our long professional relationship, Aretha was my friend. Her loss is deeply profound and my heart is full of sadness.”

In 1980, when Atlantic Records dropped Aretha after 13 glorious years, Davis swooped in and signed her to Arista Records. In short order, Arista re-established Aretha’s legacy with hits like “Jimmy Lee,” “Jump to It,” “Freeway of Love,” and so on. Their association turned into a 38 year friendship, a real relationship that spilled over to social events as well.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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