Luther Vandross

[gloworm]

My mother and I both went "NO! Not Luther!" when we saw it on the late evening news.

I was shocked.

I mean....an era of R&B just died with him. There'll never be another.

R.I.P.

[Ninja Bunny]

Some of the guys over at DataLounge are claiming that he was a terror to work for and an unpleasant guy

Not true at all. I know someone who was a "lowly" sound engineer who got to work with him on an album and he said Luther came in, took the time to introduce himself to everyone and got right to work. He was always professional and unfailingly pleasant to everyone, even the runner who fetched food.

Luther was a class act all the way.

ETA: I've heard the gay rumors also and I'm inclined to think he batted for the other team. However, considering his family history (father and three siblings all died in or before their 50's) I don't think he was felled by AIDS. I'm with the poster downthread who thinks it was stroke-related complications.

[Deleted]

Word on the street is Luther was gay and had AIDS.

[zacandmax]

Yeah, that's been the word on the street for years. I do believe the gay part, however the AIDS, I don't know.

The bottom line is the man had a stroke 2 years ago and lain on the floor of his home for about 8 hours before anyone found him. That damage was devastating and I believe he never fully recovered from it.

The gay rumors have been around since early eighties, and the AIDS rumors have been around since he first lost weight and persisted throughout his career. The diva rumors also, in the mid-nineties he went on tour with Anita Baker and the rumor was they hated each other, Luther was jealous that Anita had more stage time, he was a diva, it was a mess. I can believe that too. But I really do think he died from complications from the stroke.

[discoprincess]

The bottom line is the man had a stroke 2 years ago and lain on the floor of his home for about 8 hours before anyone found him.

Whoa, I didn't know that. In that case, it's amazing that he survuved the stroke...or even had lived this long afterwards.

I don't believe the AIDS rumorsw either.

[heyalice]

8 hours!! Holy crap! I'm surprised he survived as long as he did then. What's the longest someone can survive unattended?

[Sunnyhorse]

Thanks, Ninja Bunny, for debunking the rumor that Luther was a jerk. Sounds as if someone at DataLounge was just jealous.

[duskwolf]

I was always meh on his music, but I'm sorry that he's passed. He's touched the lives of a great number of people, and that means something.

[soul]

I know from a good source that he had HIV and was gay. His boyfriend, a model, died in a car accident on Muhulland Drive, while Luther was driving. Luther was much like Magic Johnson in his ability to live long and appear relatively healthy. Of course, there was the rapid yo-yo weight issue, which was probably due to his diabetes.

With the exception of HIV, My mother had all the ailments that my Luther had and then some. She had a stroke, is diabetic, has hypertension, and a couple of heart attacks. Like Luther's paternal side of the family, her family died young.

Of course, one benefit is that my mother benefited from good medical care, which I assumed Luther was privy too, as well. Simply, dying from what some assume was due to the complications of a significant stroke -- two years after the fact -- does not gel with me.

Now, if he had another stroke, then that would be a reason. However, it doesn't help that there is no word on the true cause of death.

[jaghetersimon]

That they haven't released the cause of death is indeed a bit shady. Either way, it doesn't matter. He was such a great talent. I love that he wrote "Young Americans," and that he sang with Bowie on it.