Luther vandross and biography
Exhibiting an interest in romance from a young age, Vandross gravitated toward leading vocalists like Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle. These women’s music, which often discussed romantic love and life at home, appealed to Vandross in his childhood as he processed his father’s death. Losing his father to diabetes complications in , at the impressionable age of eight years old, Vandross looked to his community and entertainers to inform his musical voice and his expression of sensitive masculinity. Later in his career as a solo artist, this sensitivity was felt through thoughtful interpretations of love songs and flashy concert wardrobes.
Throughout his life, Vandross tightly controlled what elements of his personal life were shared with the public. A lifetime “bachelor,” the media frequently speculated on the vocalist’s sexuality. His significant weight loss in the mids, a result of dieting, occurred amidst the AIDS epidemic and spurred on false rumors that he too suffered from the disease that heavily impacted the gay community. Vandross denied the false reports and never spoke publicly about his sexuality. Still, he quietly informed queer culture as his popularity carried his sensitive balladeering and campy spectacle worldwide. His public silence fed interest and contributed to his public persona as an emotional romantic longing for a love to share his life with. This ambiguity supported Vandross’s career while also offering another example of Black masculinity to the American cultural landscape.
On July 1, , Vandross passed away at fifty-four due to complications caused by high blood pressure and chronic diabetes. For several years, he had struggled with the same health issues that impacted his older siblings and his father decades earlier. He was survived by his mother and beloved nieces and nephews. His legacy in American music is immeasurable and is still felt to this day.
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