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Stars Perform at Clive Davis Funeral in Manhattan

6/29/2026

31 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Clive Davis Funeral

Clive Davis’s funeral took place on June 29, 2026 at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
Kenny G performed on clarinet while Jennifer Hudson sang “Hallelujah” and “I Will Always Love You”.
Alicia Keys delivered a eulogy recalling Clive Davis signed her to J Records after a teenage audition.
Bruce Springsteen opened his remarks with a joke about Clive Davis and praised his signing of Springsteen to Columbia Records at age 22.

Summary

Clive Davis Honored

Nancy Pelosi attended the private funeral of Davis, joining other notable figures.
Barack Obama praised Davis at the Grammy gala, noting his lasting impact on music.
Rob Stringer, chief executive of Sony, quipped that Davis now has a home at Sony Music Classics.
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Davis’s favorite non-own song.
Davis is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Summary

Clive Davis Tribute

NYPD erected barricades and closed East-Side streets as hundreds gathered for music executive Clive Davis’s private funeral.
Davis’s body arrived at Central Synagogue just after 6 a.m., prompting a coordinated security presence.
The 10 a.m. memorial was livestreamed, allowing fans worldwide to watch the ceremony.
City officials collaborated with organizers to manage traffic and ensure safety for attendees.

History

Historical Context

Ahmet Ertegun co-founded Atlantic Records in 1947, driving the rise of soul and rock in the 1960s. He sold the label to Warner-Bros-Seven Arts in 1967 for $17 million and earned a 1987 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. After his December 2006 death, an April 2007 memorial attended by President George W. Bush highlighted the lasting cultural weight of music-industry funerals.

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Clive Davis Funeral

Clive Davis’s funeral took place on June 29, 2026 at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
Kenny G performed on clarinet while Jennifer Hudson sang “Hallelujah” and “I Will Always Love You”.
Alicia Keys delivered a eulogy recalling Clive Davis signed her to J Records after a teenage audition.
Bruce Springsteen opened his remarks with a joke about Clive Davis and praised his signing of Springsteen to Columbia Records at age 22.

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