As It Must for All Men, Death Came Funkily for Luther Vandross

Luther Vandross died over two years ago (doesn't seem that long . . .)

Here he is doing The Carpenters' song "Superstar" - which I've always had a soft spot for, in either the original or the Sonic Youth version, and now this one:

Only now are Luther's worldly possessions being offered to the rest of the world in an estate sale. And what a sale it seems to be.

20% of the property is going up as yet, but the descriptions of what there is have led Idolator to dub Luther (with only slight exaggeration) the "Charles Foster Kane of '80s R&B." Besides his recording career, Luther had a much more lucrative life as a jingle writer - Kentucky Fried Chicken's "We Do Chicken Right;" NBC's "Proud as a Peacock;" the US Army's "Be All That You Can Be," among others - so he was able to fill his three homes with whatever he wanted, it appears.

(he was also the creator of the "Lutherburger," a bacon cheeseburger with donuts in place of a bun, which probably didn't help his health - he suffered from diabetes and hypertension and had a stroke at age 51 that seems somehow to have led to his death three years later)

Last time I talked to my dad, he mentioned reading with amazement about the upcoming estate sale, but there's now a report in the Washington Post - well worth reading - that goes into detail about the "fabulosity" to be found in the belongings of a man with a taste for Picasso charcoals, Cartier watches, and Gucci mink-and-alligator-trimmed belted three-quarter-length coats. Wow.

My favorite bit of the article:

Some of the things for sale would put Liberace to shame, some of it is classy beyond compare, some of it just makes you scratch your head. Here: Lalique sconces, a Flora Danica polychrome and parcel-gilt dinnerware set, Puiforcat display dishes. There: Purple Gucci snakeskin pants, Versace cheetah-print wool pants, a Tony Chase dyed fox rhinestone-decorated wrap.

[Max] Szadek, Vandross's assistant, is showing us around these and other highlights, and we ask politely if the red fur pony-skin cargo pants were stage apparel.

"Oh no, he would wear those anywhere. He was not for saving the fine china for a special occasion."

Oh, and here's Luther in one of his first major gigs, backing up David Bowie on "Footstompin'" on the Dick Cavett Show, 1974 - a song Luther co-wrote with Bowie (and which DB nicked just a bit for "Fame") - after the glam "Diamond Dogs" tour had morphed into the R&B "Philly Dogs" tour: