Luther Vandross fans are outraged after Madonna included a photo of the legendary singer during the AIDS tribute of her “Celebrations” tour.
“The Never Too Much” vocalist passed away on July 1, 2005, reportedly following complications from a stroke. However, his estate took issue with the photo’s inclusion, demanding it be removed.
The Vandross estate reportedly requested that the “Material Girl” remove the picture because the 54-year-old singer’s death was not attributed to AIDS or HIV nor was he ever diagnosed.
Madonna remembered her famous friends who lost their lives to AIDS with a photo memorial during her performance of “Live to Tell.” Celebrities in the memorial included photographer Herb Ritts, “Oueen” singer Freddie Mercury, artist Keith Haring and singer Sylvester. However, a picture of Vandross was added to her concert in Sacramento over the weekend, and his estate requested immediate action be taken.
“Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier,” an estate rep told Page Six. “While we appreciate Madonna’s recognition of those lives lost to AIDS, Luther was NEVER diagnosed with AIDS or the HIV Virus. We’re not sure where she or her production team received false medical information claiming otherwise. We’re currently in contact with her management to remove Luther Vandross from the tribute.”
Wow 😯: Concertgoers were shocked to see #LutherVandross’s photo added to the AIDs tribute at #Madonna’s “Celebration” concert in #Sacramento. Luther Vandross suffered from a stroke then died from a heart attack in 2005. pic.twitter.com/CYWO7irQiz
— BMB Empower Network (@BmbEmpower) February 27, 2024
Madonna removed Vandross’ picture from the memorial tribute per the family’s request. The family became aware of the memorial after “Encyclopedia Madonnica” author Matthew Rettenmund noted on Instagram that a picture of Vandross had been included.
“Sharp-eyed observers also noticed Luther Vandross was suddenly added,” wrote Rettenmund.
However, the damage was already done and many on social media did not take like of Madonna’s mistake.
“Why did Madonna have Luther in that tribute?” wrote one person on X, while another said, “Madonna just using Luther Vandross photo in an AIDS tribute is so unhinged. Like… WHAT?!
A third added, “Madonna dead a– wrong for putting Luther Vandross in her AIDS tribute . I heard a lot of rumors about him but that was never one and if it’s true, that wasn’t her place to say.”
While Vandross never admitted publicly to his sexuality, his good friend Patti LaBelle once claimed during a 2017 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” that the “Endless Love” singer struggled with the idea of coming out publicly.
“We talked about it,” LaBelle said to host Andy Cohen. “Basically, he did not want his mother to be… although she might have known, but he wasn’t going to come out and say this to the world. And he had a lot of lady fans and he told me he just didn’t want to upset the world.”
According to TMZ, Vandross was defensive about a rumor that he lost weight in the 1980s due to the disease and once sued a British tabloid over it. The “House Is Not a Home” singer famously lost more than 100 pounds several times and by 1998, he weighed 340 pounds. The Grammy Award-winning artist went on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet soon after and lost 120 pounds.
Vandross suffered from a stroke in 2003 and was unconscious for weeks before he recovered. His inclusion in the AIDS memorial was apparently “an innocent mistake” and Madonna respected his family’s wishes.
