R&B legend Vandross dies at 54
NEW YORK – Grammy award winner Luther Vandross, whose deep, lush voice on such hits as “Here and Now” and “Any Love” sold more than 25 million albums while providing the romantic backdrop for millions of couples worldwide, died Friday. He was 54.
Vandross died at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, N.J., said hospital spokesman Rob Cavanaugh. He did not release the cause of death but said in a statement that Vandross “never really recovered from” a stroke two years ago.
Since the stroke in his Manhattan home on April 16, 2003, the R&B crooner stopped making public appearances – but amazingly managed to continue his recording career. In 2004, he captured four Grammys as a sentimental favorite, including best song for the bittersweet “Dance With My Father.”
Vandross, who was still in a wheelchair at the time, delivered a videotaped thank you.
“Remember, when I say goodbye it’s never for long,” said a weak-looking Vandross. “Because” – he broke into his familiar hit – “I believe in the power of love.”
Vandross also battled weight problems for years while suffering from diabetes and hypertension.
He was arguably the most celebrated R&B balladeer of his generation. He made women swoon with his silky yet forceful tenor, which he often revved up like a motor engine before reaching his beautiful crescendos.
Vandross was a four-time Grammy winner in the best male R&B performance category, taking home the trophy in 1990 for the single “Here and Now,” in 1991 for his album “Power of Love,” in 1996 for the track “Your Secret Love” and a last time for “Dance With My Father.”
The album, with its single of the same name, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts while Vandross remained hospitalized from his stroke. It was the first time a Vandross album had topped the charts in its first week of release.
In 2005, he was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for a duet with Beyonce on “The Closer I Get To You.”
A career in music seemed predestined for the New York native; both his parents were singers, and his sister, Patricia, was part of a 1950s group called the Crests.
Over the years, Vandross would emerge as the leading romantic singer of his generation, racking up one platinum album after another and charting several R&B hits, such as “Superstar,” “Give Me The Reason” and “Love Won’t Let Me Wait.”
Yet, while Vandross was a household name in the black community, he was frustrated by his failure to become a mainstream pop star. Indeed, it took Vandross until 1990 to score his first top 10 hit – the wedding staple “Here & Now.”
“I just wanted more success. I didn’t want to suddenly start wearing blond wigs to appeal to anyone,” he told the AP.