After his death in 2005, many media outlets began to focus on Vandross's sexuality, including The Advocate-who was the first major publication to explicitly call him a "gay artist"-and The Village Voice. Throughout his career, Vandross was very guarded about his private life and sexuality on the many occasions he was confronted by interviewers about it, he'd become defensive and short-tempered. Jimmy Salvemini's album, Roll It, was released later that year. The case was settled out of court with a payment to the Salvemini family for about $630,000. At first, the Salvemini family was supportive of Vandross, but later filed a wrongful death suit against him. There was no evidence Vandross was under the influence of alcohol or other drugs he pleaded no contest to reckless driving. Vandross faced vehicular manslaughter charges as a result of Larry's death, and his driving license was suspended for a year. Jimmy, who was in the back of the car, had cuts, bruises and contusions. Vandross suffered three broken ribs, a broken hip, several bruises and facial cuts. Larry, who was in the passenger seat, was killed during the collision. Vandross and Jimmy were rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Luther was driving at 48 mph in a 35 mph zone when his Mercedes veered across the double yellow center line of the two lane street, turned sideways and collided with the front of a 1972 Mercury Marquis that was headed southbound, then swung around and hit a 1979 Cadillac Seville head on. On January 12, 1986, they were riding in Vandross's 1985 convertible Mercedes-Benz on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, in the north section of Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. After the album was completed, Vandross, Jimmy, and Larry decided to celebrate. He contacted his old friends Cheryl Lynn, Alfa Anderson (Chic), Phoebe Snow and Irene Cara to appear on the album. A contract was negotiated with Elektra Records for $250,000 and Vandross agreed to produce the album. Vandross thought Salvemini had the perfect voice for some of his songs, and contacted Salvemini, who was managed by his brother Larry. ![]() ![]() Later Grammy winners like 1991’s “Power of Love/Love Power” and 2003’s “Dance With My Father” remain as technically accomplished as they are emotionally moving, on both counts standing as testaments to his enduring legacy.In 1985, Vandross first spotted the talent of Jimmy Salvemini, who was fifteen at the time, on Star Search. ![]() In the decades that followed, Vandross continued to find ways to push the art forward instead of relying on the tried and true. Along with the irresistibly joyful title track of Vandross’ 1981 solo debut, Never Too Much, “A House Is Not a Home” also helped launch him after many years of working behind the scenes as a session vocalist and arranger for acts like David Bowie and Bette Midler and as the singer of “Searching” and “The Glow of Love,” two classy hits for the Italian/American disco group Change. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion have all acknowledged the impact that their sometime duet partner had on them. In the process, he transcends the ‘60s divas who inspired him-Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin-to create a model for those who followed. That’s just what he did on his astonishing 1981 cover of “A House Is Not a Home,” transforming the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic into an acutely personal demonstration of his control, dexterity, and expressiveness. A suave yet warmhearted New Yorker who became one of R&B’s beloved balladeers from his solo breakthrough in the early ‘80s to his untimely death in 2005, Vandross was also a vocalist whose understanding of singing as an art form was so profound, he changed notions of what it could be. Luther Vandross was more than just a great singer.
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