Clarence Avant passed away at his home in Los Angeles Monday at the age of 92. There are Black Godfathers and Black Godmothers (like Patricia Abraham Yerger, the author’s mother), but we don’t talk about them enough to the point where we knew about them when I was growing up.
Cable TV and then digital media and the Internet has changed that. And has done so to the point where I learned about the man called the Black Godfather via a well-done documentary on Netflix.
But even then, that movie on Netflix would not have happened but for modern integration: Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos is married to Mr. Avant’s daughter, Nicole Avant.
Nicole Avant, Ted Sarandos, and Alex Avant, released this statement: ‘
‘It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant. Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘The Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics, and sports.”
“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”
https://www.algoafm.co.za/entertainment/a-giant-in-the-music-industry-clarence-avant-has-died-at-92
So The June 7th, 2019 Story By Vanity Fair’s Nicole Sterling Goes:
On Monday night the Hollywood Illuminati turned out to L.A.’s Paramount Theatre to learn about and celebrate the life and times of kingmaker-manager-former head of Motown Records Clarence Avant in the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather, which debuts today. Quincy Jones, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Jimmy Kimmel, Laura Dern, Chadwick Boseman, Pharrell Williams, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, were all there. Even 85-year-old Hank Aaron turned up. So why were so many stars on hand to honor a man most Americans have never heard of? We’ll let Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, who happens to be married to Avant’s daughter, Obama-era ambassador to the Bahamas Nicole Avant, take it away…
“This is a movie that is about my father-in-law that my wife produced, and you may think to yourself, Is there any kind of conflict there? Yes!” said Sarandos as he introduced the film with a laugh. “But truth be told this was a film that was getting made. This was a story that had to be told. And what am I supposed to do, let it go to HBO or something? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. Could you imagine that holiday dinner if that happened? That isn’t happening.”
So yes, Hollywood nepotism is alive and well. But hey, the movie’s pretty good as it turns out, tracking Avant’s rise from abject poverty in the Jim Crow South to his position as a Zelig figure in the African American entertainment community. Over the course of his six-decade career, Avant has brokered deals (Aaron’s Coca-Cola endorsement, among many others), carried plenty of quiet influence (Barack Obama’s prime-time speaking slot at the 2004 Democratic National Convention), and earned an impressive fan club along the way; the movie’s interviewees include former congressman Andrew Young, senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Cicely Tyson, P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Bill Withers, L.A. Reid, Babyface, and Obama himself. Bill Clinton is also in the film, and director Reginald Hudlin got him to tell a story of how Avant lifted him up during the impeachment proceedings.
“He got quiet and reflective and then told this incredibly intimate story—he told it very honestly, and we were all blown away by the power of his recollection,” said Hudlin. “One of the things I’m most proud of about this movie is that a lot of people gave their best interviews.”
That, and the fact that Hudlin has now ensured that Sarandos and family will have a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner.
Vanity Fair Newsletter
Lionel Richie Inducts Clarence Avant Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Clarence Avant Was Fearless And That’s A Black American Lesson
From what I learned, Clarence Avant was the man who wasn’t afraid to make high-level white business relationships in Hollywood, and leverage those connections with his list of super-talented African American associates and friends to their benefit. How he became that person is worthy of more study. He reportedly had a hard upbringing at the hands of an abusive father.
Mr. Avant had a saying “Never let on how much you know, and ask for as much money as possible, “without stuttering.”
The last part of that sentence – “ask for as much money as possible, “without stuttering” – reflects a fearlessness that many of us African Americans are told not to have. The spectre of the white man not valuing us is always pushed to our face by someone who looks like us. Fortunately, Mr. Avant didn’t heed that sad and debilitating message. And so he influenced a young black man who moved to Chicago and got involved in politics – and caused that him to land a place on the speaking list of the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Eventually, that young black man would dare run for President of The United States, take on the establishment Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton (powered by her husband, the former President Bill Clinton), and win the 2008 Presidential Election.
Barack Obama shocked the World, but not this author, who was one of his first, small band of supporters. We owe President Obama’s assent to Clarence Avant.
Statement by President Obama and Mrs. Obama on the Passing of Clarence Avant
Clarence Avant was one of our favorite people. He exemplified a certain level of cool and street smarts that allowed him to move confidently into worlds that nobody had prepared him for, never doubting he could figure it out.
Clarence was part of a generation that served as a bridge from a time when there was very little opportunity for Black people to a time when doors began to open. He demanded the world make room, and he paved the way for the rest of us.
Michelle and I will always be grateful for Clarence’s friendship and wise counsel. Our thoughts are with Nicole, Alex, Ted, and everyone whose life was touched by a truly remarkable man.
Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Passing of Clarence Avant
Clarence Avant was a legend. He was always focused on who he could bring to the table and who he could lift up. From the music industry to the civil rights movement, he brought people together so we could all move forward.
Often operating behind the scenes, Clarence, affectionately called “the Godfather of Black Music”, spent his career sharing advice, making connections, and widening the path for generations of others to follow. He mentored and molded hundreds of legendary Black artists, athletes, and producers, whose signature styles and songs of triumph and tragedy continue to move millions across our nation and throughout the world.
Clarence supported community leaders through some of the toughest moments of the civil rights movement, and helped open doors for elected officials – from those at city hall and in the halls of Congress, to the White House.
He was generous, he was funny, and he was full of heart.
He was my friend.
Today, Doug and my prayers are with Nicole, Alex, Ted, and all those who loved him.
More Tributes To Clarence Avant Pour In On Twitter
Celebrate America’s Black Godfathers And Black Godmothers
We Must Chronicle Our Black Godfathers And Black Godmothers. Like Clarence Avant, they’re out there, but America doesn’t see them.