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Clarence Avant, 'Black Godfather' of entertainment, father of former US Ambassador to the Bahamas Nicole Avant, dies

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Clarence Avant attends the world premiere of the documentary "The Black Godfather" on June 3, 2019, in Los Angeles. Avant, the manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as β€œThe Godfather of Black Music,” has died. He was 92. His death was announced Monday by his family. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) β€” Clarence Avant, the judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as the "Black Godfather" of music and beyond, has died. He was 92.

Avant, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, and the father of former US Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole Avant, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a family statement released Monday.

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Nicole Avant

"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," said the statement, which was released by Avant's son Alex, daughter Nicole and her husband, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

Avant's achievements were both public and behind the scenes, as a name in the credits, or a name behind the names. Born in a segregated hospital in North Carolina, he became a man of lasting and wide-ranging influence, in part by minding two pieces of advice from an early mentor, the music manager Joe Glaser: Never let on how much you know, and ask for as much money as possible, "without stuttering."

"Everyone in this business has been by Clarence's desk, if they're smart," Quincy Jones liked to say of him.

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