# Gerry Griffith, Music Executive Who Discovered Whitney Houston, Dies at 87

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/gerry-griffith-music-executive-who-discovered-whitney-houston-dies-at-87/
- Published: 2026-11-13T20:34:37+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T21:41:31+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/gerry-griffith-dead-whitney-houston-discovered-1236754931/
- Topics: Government, Politics

## Key points

- Gerry Griffith died aged 87 after a five-year battle with dementia.
- He brought Whitney Houston to Clive Davis’s attention.
- His career also included work with major artists and film soundtracks.

## Summary

Gerry Griffith, the Arista Records executive who brought Whitney Houston to Clive Davis’s attention, has died aged 87. His discovery of Houston led to a 1983 record deal and helped launch a career that became a defining part of popular music.

Griffith died on 5 November after living with dementia for five years, his family said. He also worked with Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Carlos Santana, contributed to the soundtracks of Pretty Woman and The Bodyguard, and later led A&R at Manhattan Records, where he worked with Richard Marx. He is survived by four children.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.