From a New York Times obit by Neil Genzlinger headlined “Clarence Avant, Quiet Force in Black Entertainment, Dies at 92”:

Clarence Avant, a record executive who shaped the careers not only of Bill Withers, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and other Black singers, but also of politicians, actors and sports figures — exerting so much influence that a 2019 documentary about him was called simply “The Black Godfather” — died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 92.