Clive Davis' pre-Grammy gala will continue in 2027, the first since his death

NEW YORK (AP) — The annual Clive Davis pre-Grammy gala will continue in 2027 following the business titan's death earlier this year, The Recording Academy has announced.

The music industry lost one of its most powerful figures in June, when Davis — the titan who launched or resurrected the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys — died in his Manhattan apartment, weeks after being hospitalized for an upper respiratory issue. He was 94.

Davis is always top of mind in the music business, but especially so during the Grammy Awards season, where his annual pre-Grammy gala, held the Saturday night before the Sunday award show every year since 1975, has widely been considered one of the week's most exclusive and popular events. There, giants across genre and generation come together for unique performances and celebrations.

According to the Recording Academy, the first Clive Davis gala since his passing will take place Feb. 6 next year, the night before the 2027 Grammy Awards.

Additional details about the gala are forthcoming.

“Clive built this gala into something the entire music community looked forward to for five decades. He never did it for applause or recognition. He did it because he loved this community, believed in the power of music, and understood what it meant to bring us all together to celebrate it,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. wrote in a statement.

“I was lucky to call Clive a friend and mentor, and working with him taught me so much," Mason added. "That’s exactly the spirit he brought to the Pre-Grammy Gala and I know he’d want nothing more than for the show to go on this year. It’s our honor to celebrate the legacy he left behind.”

Performers at the 2026 gala included Clipse and John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Dan + Shay, the trio HUNTR/X doing “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters” and others.

“Clive’s talent has always been seeing and hearing what other people don’t,” former President Barack Obama said in a video message played at the event, where attendees included Joni Mitchell, Nancy Pelosi, Berry Gordy, Jeff Goldblum, Gladys Knight, Cameron Crowe, Lana Del Rey, Brandi Carlile and many more.