Entertainment legend Clarence Avant, the ‘Black Godfather,' dies at 92

Entertainment industry legend Clarence Avant, known as 'The Black Godfather,' died Sunday at his Los Angeles home, according to a statement from his family."It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant," the family said in a statement issued by his children, Nicole and Alex, and son-in-law Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO.

Born in North Carolina, Avant rose to prominence in the entertainment industry after starting out as a talent manager in the 1950s. He married wife Jacqueline in 1967 and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, working at Venture Records in Southern California and founded L.A.-based Sussex Records and Avant Garde Broadcasting.Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.

He would go on to work with some of the biggest names in the world of music, providing management services, guidance and inspiration to the likes of Jay-Z, Diddy, L.A. Reid and Babyface. He founded two record labels, and help guide the careers of Bill Withers, Sixto Rodriguez, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.

Avant became the chairman of the board of Motown Records in the 1990s and was the first African-American board member of PolyGram. He launched the first fully Black-owned radio stations in Los Angeles and was a consultant to MGM and ABC in the 1970s.Entertainment

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