Luther vandross is he gay

Luther Vandross' niece Seveda Williams opens up on why late singer kept his personal life private, with question marks still raised about his sexuality and health circulating today. In Luther: Never Too Much, an eye-opening new documentary on the late singer that recently premiered on CNN, archival footage shows interviewers pressing Vandross about his sexuality. He.

When Vandross was alive, there was speculation that he was gay. But, he never officially came out. Cohen asked LaBelle if the two of them ever spoke about his sexuality and the possibility of him one day telling the world his truth.

However, LaBelle said that he didn't want to come out because he didn't want to let certain people down. In fact, it doesn’t appear Vandross ever really cared that people thought he was gay–he was simply unwilling to confirm or deny it. In a interview with Vibe, Vandross jokingly. Yes, Luther Vandross was gay. The singer was in the closet his entire life and his true sexuality was only revealed after his death by his friend, Patti LaBelle.

Being the first in the face of such oppression is always daunting; particularly when one has to confront both racism and homophobia. For men in music at that time, there was an incredible responsibility to be a fantasy of sorts for female listeners. The tragedy is not that LaBelle outed Vandross without his blessing. The tragedy is that he had to hide it in the first place.

In a interview with Vibe , Vandross jokingly responded to the years-long chatter about his sexuality. Not being candid about his sexuality brought an onslaught of rumors that he had contracted AIDS. Nothing about being out at that time seemed safe or worthwhile. Like any Black gay man, closeted or not, Vandross only desired what anyone wanted out of life: love and happiness.

In the same Vibe interview, Vandross admitted that he had never been in love. Those are just the circumstances.

luther vandross never too much documentary

That alone tells us we still have a long way to go. Unfortunately we will never know whether or not Luther would have felt empowered enough to come out, as his former J Records boss, Clive Davis , did in What we do know is that what kept him in the dark is an industry, and a society, marred by bigotry. Maybe not. Having expectations that prevented him from being out, and proud of the talented and loving man that he was.

While Luther may have lived in the closet, let us honor his legacy by cultivating a better society than the one he knew. Follow him on Twitter , Instagram and Facebook. Sign out. Return to Homepage. Top Stories: Latest on 's big bill Diddy verdict analysis approval rating Big bill immigration crackdown Poll: Americans on Iran strike Beach safety Diddy verdict live updates Senate passes 's big bill Big bill winners and losers 4th of July travel.

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