Clive Davis can still remember Whitney Houston’s passion for life and music before her death.
In a new interview with CNN, the music industry legend and famous mentor to the late pop icon opened up about the music the two worked on before she died at age 48 in 2012, during the weekend of the 55th Grammy Awards.
The producer (91), who Houston discovered at the age of 19, explained to the paper that the singer asked him to come up with material for new songs shortly before her sudden and tragic death.
Whitney Houston and Clive Davis in Los Angeles in July 2009
Remembering the extraordinary life of Whitney Houston in photos
He said that their process was always to discuss ideas for new music with each other before it went into the recording studio. “We planned to be ready,” he said. “That’s how we worked. We collaborated and met before any material was recorded.”
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The Grammy winner confirmed that he and the “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” singer have even worked out a future schedule. “And we said, ‘Yeah, he’s going to leave in August,'” Davis explained.
“So she was vital, optimistic. We look forward to the future,” he added.
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Whitney Houston and Clive Davis 1989 Lester Cohen/Getty Whitney Houston biopic ‘will answer all the questions’ about the late singer, says Clive Davis
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also told the paper how Houston was candid about her health before her death (which was the result of an accidental drowning with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use).
“She knew I couldn’t believe she was still smoking cigarettes,” he said. “And she showed me that she had stopped smoking. She went to some kind of throat doctor to get all the nicotine out of her throat. This was February.”
Despite how upbeat the performer seemed, Davis said, “That’s the deadly power of drugs. You never beat him. She didn’t beat him.”
The pop superstar died on February 11, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, just hours before she was scheduled to attend Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party at the same hotel later that evening. Her loss was greatly felt in the music community and the rest of the world at the 55th Grammy Awards later that weekend and beyond.
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Whitney Houston performs. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Friends and family of Whitney Houston celebrate what would have been her 60th birthday at the Legacy of Love Gala (Exclusive)
Davis — who is also credited with playing a role in the careers of stars like Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys and more — has spoken candidly about how much Houston’s death affected him in the past.
In a 2015 interview with PEOPLE, the former A&R executive said, “I miss him. I miss him personally, and I miss him like [a] amazing performer.”
While noting how “charming” and “funny” the “I Will Always Love You” singer is, he fondly reflected on how he missed her love of music most of all.
“If you’ve ever seen her live, it was so powerful,” Davis recalled. “Never has a voice been able to bring songs home so easily or emotionally. She got standing ovations time and time again.”
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Source: HIS Education