Clarence Avant, 'Godfather of Black Entertainment' Dead at 92
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The legendary music executive died on Sunday, his family confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Clarence Avant in October 2021Clarence Avant, legendary music executive and film producer, has died. He was 92.
Avant, who was hailed as godfather of Black entertainment, died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, his family confirmed to PEOPLE.
“It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” Avant’s children Nicole and Alex and son-in-law Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘The Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics, and sports.”
“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss,” the statement concluded.
Avant’s death comes two years after the murder of his wife, philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, who was shot and killed at age 81 by an intruder at her Beverly Hills home. The pair married in 1967.
North Carolina native Avant began his career in the 1960s managing upcoming blues artists including Little Willie John, jazz organist Jimmy Smith and jazz producer Creed Taylor, whom he scored a record breaking deal for with A&M Records. By 1968, he engineered the sale of Stax Records, which closely followed behind the success of Motown Records.
Avant’s network continued to grow once he moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and established his own record companies Sussex Records and Tabu Records — both of which are credited for the early formations of hip-hop in their releases. Among the artists Avant worked with are Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston, Pharrell Williams, Lionel Richie, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, L.A. Reid, Snoop Dogg, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and Janet Jackson. He also promoted Michael Jackson’s first ever solo “Bad” tour.
Related: Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, Wife of Music Exec Clarence Avant
The producer, who was the first black owner of an FM radio station in LA after buying KAGB-FM, was responsible for securing many milestones for Black people in entertainment.
He is noted to have landed the ABC variety special for Muhammad Ali, with whom he worked with closely, and secured the largest endorsement deal in professional sports history with legendary baseball player Hank Aaron. Aaron later said that “without Clarence Avant, there is no Hank Aaron,” in the 2019 Netflix documentary filmThe Black Godfather, which depicted the story of Avant’s life.
In 1993, Avant became the chairman of Motown Records. He later ventured into political interests in his career as a prominent Democrat, having influence on Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. He was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
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Avant’s death follows the killing of his wife Jacqueline during a home invasion in December 2021. In March 2022, a man pled guilty to the murder and to attempting to kill the philanthropist's security guard during a robbery at her Beverly Hills home.
Avant and his wife’s daughter Nicole spoke to PEOPLE about grieving over her mother before the release of her book Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude, which she described as “part memoir” in July.
“The book helped a lot,” Nicole, 55, told PEOPLE. “I was writing for quite some time, but I obviously changed after my mom’s death. Everyone says, ‘One day at a time.’ It was literally, for me, one minute at a time. I would literally have to say that to myself, ‘One minute at a time. Just one minute.’ Each minute, one minute.”
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