Clarence Avant, the music executive also known as the “Black Godfather,” has passed away 19 months after his wife was murdered in their Los Angeles-area residence.
According to a statement from his children, Nicole and Alexander, and his son-in-law, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, the legendary businessman passed away at his Los Angeles residence on Sunday.
They stated that Clarence leaves behind “a long 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.”
Joseph G. “Joe” Glaser, Louis Armstrong’s music manager, was Clarence’s early mentor. Clarence began his career in the 1950s as the proprietor of a lounge in New Jersey.
He became a pioneer in the world of music very rapidly, managing numerous singers and performers, including Sixto Rodriguez, Bill Withers, and the duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
In addition to establishing two record labels—Venture Records in 1967 and Sussex Records in 1969—he launched the first African-American-owned FM radio station.
Clarence made industry manoeuvres for decades, including brokering the sale of Stax Records, becoming chairman of the board at Motown Records, and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
The same year that his Netflix documentary “The Black Godfather” premiered, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an Industry Icon Award at the Grammys.
He married Jacqueline in 1967; TMZ reported in 2021 that she was shot and killed during a burglary attempt at their Los Angeles residence.
Clarence was 92.
RIP
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