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Luther Vandross-'Any Love' BY STEVE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER July 2, 2005 Like Frank Sinatra, he made girls swoon with his sensuous ballads and son gs of love. When he ignited in a rhythm-and-blues groove, he made them d ance. Luther Vandross, who sold multi-million albums during an acclaimed career in pop and defined "make-out music" for a generation of couples, died F riday at the John F Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, NJ, said a hosp ital spokesman;
advertisement Vandross passed away "under the watchful eyes of friends, family and his medical support team," said spokesman, Robert Cavanaugh. "Luther was dee ply touched by all the thoughts and wishes from his fans." The eight-time Grammy Award winner, who's poetic, up-close-and-personal s tyle defied imitation, was stricken with a stroke more than two years ag o that left him in a coma for nearly two months; The heavy-set Vandross also had a history of weight fluctuations and diabetes. Remarkably, the singer rebounded -- and in 2004 was awarded with a quarte t of Grammys, including one for Song of the Year, the poignant "Dance Wi th My Father." The album of the same name was released the same week he emerged from the coma. Videotaped in a wheelchair -- Vandross had long since halted publ ic appearances -- the singer told his Grammy audience, "Remember, when I say goodbye it's never for long, because I believe in the power of love ." It was a shameless but utterly endearing plug for his ambitious 1991 albu m, "Power of Love," which helped to solidify the singer's standing as a crooner with few peers, one who could go low-dirty and dirty -- or at th e least, very suggestive and soulful -- one moment, and then rip off lyr ics in a dynamic tenor voice that could be thrilling. Despite his frequent vocal heroics, Vandross usually erred, if he ever di d, toward the softer side. "I'm more into poetry and metaphor, and I wou ld much rather imply something rather than to blatantly state it," he sa id in an interview with the Associated Press in the early '90s. "You bla tantly state stuff sometimes when you can't think of a poetic way to say it." During his career, Vandross sold more than 25 million albums, and before making it as a singer, had written tracks for David Bowie, as well as si nging backing vocals for Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. His debut so lo record, "Never Too Much," was released in 1981. Vandross, who was born in New York City, was bred into show business. His parents were singers, and his sister Patricia was part of a 1950s group called the Crests. Vandross' first big break came as the lead vocalist for the group Change, with their 1980 hit, "The Glow of Love." Subsequently, Vandross was sig ned to the Epic label, and in 1981, he made his solo recording debut wit h the album "Never Too Much." The album, which featured his nearly melod ramatic take on Burt Bacharach's classic, "A House is Not a Home," itsel f became a soul staple. Over the years, Vandross would emerge as the leading romantic singer of h is generation, racking up one platinum album after another and charting several R&B hits, such as "Superstar," "Give Me The Reason" and "Love Wo n't Let Me Wait." Unlike contemporaries like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, Vandross ha d yet to achieve his much-desired cross-over status into the mainstream until 1990, when he scored his first top 10 pop-chart hit -- the wedding staple "Here & Now." He returned to the pop Top Ten in 1992 with "The B est Things in Life Are Free" from the movie Mo' Money, a duet with Janet Jackson. "I just wanted more success," he told the Associated Press. "I didn't wan t to suddenly start wearing blond wigs to appeal to anyone." The singer himself n ever married nor had he any children, but kept close relationships with his many nieces and nephews.
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