Whitney Houston Discoverer Gerry Griffith Dies At 87

Whitney Houston was still a teenager singing alongside her mother when Gerry Griffith heard the voice that would transform Arista Records. The executive who helped put her in front of Clive Davis has died at 87.

Griffith died November 5 in Brooklyn after living with dementia for five years, according to Billboard. His career stretched beyond Houston to work with Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Carlos Santana.

That Houston connection wasn’t a single lucky introduction. Griffith first heard the 16-year-old perform with Cissy Houston in 1979, then returned to hear her in 1983. With another label reportedly interested, he persuaded Davis to attend a showcase before Arista signed her.

“It takes more than just talent, and that’s what Whitney had at such a young age. Besides the voice, with its range, tone and emotion, she displayed a fearless confidence and stage presence,” Griffith told Billboard in 2012.

The signing opened a two-year runway to Houston’s 1985 debut. “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know” and “Greatest Love Of All” became consecutive No. 1 singles, turning that early conviction into a historic launch. Her follow-up, Whitney, entered the album chart at No. 1 in 1987, a first for a woman, and extended her streak of chart-topping singles.

Manager and publisher Deirdre O’Hara remembered her own place in that chain of introductions.

“Early in my music publishing career, I was very fortunate to connect with Gerry. One of my proudest moments was urging him to see Whitney Houston, and he subsequently brought Clive Davis to see her. The rest is history,” O’Hara said.

Griffith’s work also reached The Bodyguard soundtrack, extending his connection to Houston into her movie career. The album won the Grammy for album of the year and later joined her debut among the records that returned to the Top 10 after her death.

The Chicago native served in the Army before entering music. At EMI’s Manhattan Records, he worked with Richard Marx, while his broader credits included Santana’s Supernatural era and the Pretty Woman soundtrack.

Griffith’s survivors include two daughters and two sons, with a memorial service planned for a later date.