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NEW YORK — Kenny G played a mournful sax solo to kick off the funeral Monday for music legend Clive Davis, as pop royalty turned out to honor a man who championed so many of their careers.
Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder were among of the other musical stars at the service. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Adrien Brody, Hoda Kotb and Gayle King were among the other notables.
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl said Davis would have been thrilled by the turnout. “Clive would have loved this,” she said.
The memorial service was closed to the public but was livestreamed from Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
Davis launched the careers of numerous stars, including Whitney Houston, Springsteen, Alicia Keys and Kenny G, and influenced others such as Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.
Davis died June 22 in his Manhattan apartment at the age of 94, a few weeks after he had been hospitalized for an upper respiratory issue.
For more than 50 years, Davis convened a pre-Grammy Awards gala attended by some of the biggest names in music the night before the awards ceremony.
At this year’s gala, former President Barack Obama praised Davis, a record company lawyer who rose to become one of music’s most influential figures. While many record execs saw their influence wane as they grew older, Davis’ seemed to grow. He breathed new life into the careers of established artists such as Aretha Franklin and Santana, and helped launch Keys and several early “American Idol” winners’ careers, including Kelly Clarkson’s.
He is survived by his four children, sons Fred, Doug and Mitchell, daughter Lauren, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
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