Alicia Keys pays tribute to Clive Davis at funeral: "Thank you for the music"

Singer Alicia Keys, 45, paid tribute to Clive Davis, a music industry executive who passed away at the age of 94. With a speech titled "A Letter to the Man Who First Believed," she recalled her first audition with Clive Davis.

"You didn't just hire an artist. You recognized the soul," Keys said. "You saw not just the music I had already made, but the music that still pulsed inside me, waiting for someone with the wisdom and courage to bring it to the surface. You brought it to the surface. You brought it to the surface."

"In a world that so often reduces art to commerce and genius to product, you have stood firm. You are woven into my essence. You have shown me what it means to move forward with integrity and purpose," he said.

"Thank you for the music, for the vision, for the encouragement, for the friendship. Thank you for seeing me completely, from the beginning", she added.

Clive Davis died on June 22, surrounded by family in New York. He became popularly known as "the man with the golden ears", for having launched music icons such as Whitney Houston and Billy Joel.

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Source: CNN