Madonna removes Vandross photo from AIDS tribute after singer’s estate complaint

27 February 2024 , 11:51

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Madonna accidentally included his photo in the tribute

Madonna has removed Luther Vandross’ photo from her AIDS concert tribute after a complaint from the late singer’s estate.

During the pop icon’s Celebration tour, she performs her 1986 song Live to Tell as several famous faces who passed away from AIDS are projected onto a screen behind her. Celebrity photographer Herb Ritts, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, artist Keith Haring and Sylvester are a few of Madonna’s close pals who are featured in the touching memorial, but on her latest tour stop in California on Saturday, she accidentally included the Never Too Much hitmaker, prompting a reaction from his estate.

“Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier,” a rep for his estate said in a statement. “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.”

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Madonna was in trouble after including Luther's image during her AIDS tribute (Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS)

According to Page Six, the Material Girl hitmaker has now removed the photo of Luther from the tribute. The error was initially flagged by Madonna fan Matthew Rettenmund after he shared a video of the tribute. “Sharp-eyed observers also noticed Luther Vandross was suddenly added. Though gay (and closeted to the end), and though Vandross was rumoured to have lost weight due to AIDS-related illness, his 2005 death has never been attributed to AIDS complications,” he wrote in the caption.

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The legendary singer died in 2005 (Redferns)

The legendary singer, who died in 2005, once reportedly sued over a 1985 tabloid report claiming his dramatic weight loss was due to the illness, and in 2017, his close friend Patti LaBelle never publicly disclosed he was gay. “We talked about it. 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,” she told host Andy Cohen during an episode of Watch What Happens Live. “And he had a lot of lady fans and he told me he just didn’t want to upset the world.”

At the time of his death, the Dance with My Father hitmaker suffered from diabetes and hypertension, and in 2003, he had a massive stroke and was in a coma for more than two months. He was unable to sing or speak following the stroke, and two years later, on July 1, 2005, he died at a New Jersey hospital from a heart attack at the age of just 54.

Emma Wilson