‘Godfather of Black Music’ Clarence Avant dies aged 92

Clarence Avant, the manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as ‘The Godfather of Black Music’, has died. aged 92 (Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP)

Clarence Avant, the manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as “The Godfather of Black Music”, has died at the age of 92.

Avant, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to a family statement released on Monday morning.