Overview
- Family members confirmed late Thursday that Griffith died on November 5 in Brooklyn at age 87 after a five-year battle with dementia.
- He first heard a teenage Whitney Houston performing in New York and persuaded Clive Davis to sign her to Arista in 1983, a move that launched her global career.
- Griffith spent decades in artists-and-repertoire roles at Arista and later Manhattan Records (EMI), working on major projects including The Bodyguard and Pretty Woman soundtracks and on recordings tied to Santana’s Supernatural era.
- Colleagues and the Whitney Houston Estate praised his talent-spotting and said he often worked behind the scenes without wide public credit for shaping hit records.
- He is survived by four children and the family said memorial arrangements will be announced, while his death has renewed attention to how A&R executives help find and develop major artists.