Luther Vandross' niece opens up on why late singer kept his personal life private

2 July 2024, 10:38

Few knew much about Luther Vandross's personal life.

R&B icon Luther Vandross was notorious for keeping his private life as private as it could be, despite being one of the most celebrated singers of his generation.

Even before the 'Dance With My Father' star entered the charts as an artist in his own right, his voice could be heard in countless records.

After being discovered by and recruited as a backing singer by David Bowie on his 1975 album Young Americans, Luther went on to sing with Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Donna Summer, and even Roxy Music.

Of course, we know him for the Grammy Award-winning voice he evolved into, with songs like 'Never Too Much' and 'Endless Love' becoming major chart successes.

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"I know that he wanted to be known as a premier singer of his time and he accomplished that no question," his niece Seveda Williams told People magazine, who know him better than most.

"They don’t make them like him anymore. He was the last, in my opinion, true king of romance. He had a magnificent voice, but he also wrote the lyrics, these heartfelt lyrics."

Tragically, the romantic singer died from health complications at the age of 54, but rumours around his sexuality led to speculation about his cause of death.

Being part of his inner circle, Seveda - who runs her uncle's fan club, Fandross - has revealed his reasons for being so guarded.

"He had his friends in his crew and nobody else needed to be a part of that,” says Williams.

"If you are not my friend, why are we talking about certain things? Everything isn’t everybody’s business all of the time."

It's an entirely justifiable stance, especially given that coming out as gay to the world throughout the eighties and nineties would've no doubt damaged his career.

Certainly, nowadays that wouldn't be the case as society is more accepting, though it was too late for Luther who died on 1st July 2005.

A new documentary has been scheduled for release at the start of 2025 - twenty years after Vandross' passed away - to celebrate his legacy.

Never Too Much will reveal more about Luther's life and career, delving into his immense talent alongside his struggles with weight and sexuality.

Williams said about the documentary: "I recently viewed it again and I enjoyed it a lot. I’m willing to stand behind it."

"It's not going to be for everybody. I think it is very inclusive of everything and you'll get to see it and come up with your opinion."

"It doesn't hide anything. It hits many layers of who he is or was and how he got there and what happened for or to him.”

The documentary's director Dawn Porter added: "What we tried to do was balance, here’s how Luther handled those questions in his life."

"But it was really, really important to me and I hope the viewer senses, I’m trying to honour how he lived, because it’s important to not out people when they do not want to be outed and when they did not choose that... I’m going to let him have the last word."

Confusion and misinformation around Luther's death still exist today, especially after Madonna added him to an in-memoriam video at one of her recent concerts, with the Vandross estate requesting he be removed.

'He was thrown up there, as far as I’m told, as a person who had passed away from AIDS," says Williams.

"Somebody didn’t do their research or someone likes messiness. If it’s incorrect information it shouldn’t be there. He passed away from a combination of stroke, diabetes and hypertension."

Seveda also revealed that her uncle never stopped what he loved doing in spite of his health issues.

"He was singing up to the last minute. I hope people see him as human, a man who had a great career, but a man who lived a life."