When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2020 on Wednesday (Jan. 15), it meant a wonderful morning for industry legend Clive Davis: Whitney Houston, whose career he guided on its ascent to global domination, was officially part of the Rock Hall.
"I'm delighted with the news, ecstatic," Davis tells Billboard. Houston hardly needed the Rock Hall to establish her enduring impact, of course, but he acknowledges the "official recognition and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is unique, special and really cherished."
"It's very important to Whitney's legacy and fully deserved. She and Aretha Franklin have influenced more young artists than any other artists I know," he notes. And while Houston, who died in 2012, isn't here to enjoy the honor, he thinks she would be humbled by it.