Legendary music producer Clive Davis is known all over the world for his professional accomplishments, which include five Grammy Awards and the discovery of the late, great Whitney Houston. And now he's making headlines for his personal life, too — thanks mostly to his new memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, in which he comes out as bisexual for the first time in his decades-long career.
Davis, 80, who has been married and divorced twice, writes in the book that he began to explore romantic relationships with men during the era of Studio 54, when he was approached by male fan at the famed music club. "On this night, after imbibing enough alcohol, I was open to responding to his sexual overtures," the record mogul says (according to Rolling Stone), noting that he had previously been with only women.
Following that first encounter, and a period of "soul searching and self-analysis," the industry icon separated from his second wife and moved on to relationships with two other women and a man. In 1990, he says, he entered into a 14-year monogamous relationship with a male doctor. When that ended, he became involved with another man, whom he has been with ever since.
Davis says that for him, falling in love transcends gender. And though his most recent partners have been men, he's still open to relationships with the opposite sex. Talking to Katie Couric about his sexuality, he says: "I'm still attracted to women. You don't have to be only one thing or another. For me it's the person. I'm in a monogamous relationship, [and] I respect monogamy. And I hope that this is understood."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who has four kids — daughter Lauren and sons Fred, Mitchell, and Doug — also reflects in his memoir about his work with Whitney Houston, from their earliest collaborations to her death in 2012. He even includes the text of a letter he wrote to the troubled singer in 2001, in which he pleads with her to get help.
"My dear, dear Whitney, the time has come," he began, noting that her loved ones were concerned for her well-being. "Our anguish, our fear, our pain is just too much to bear. You must get help for yourself and for your close extended family."
