Luther Vandross' gay life remained hidden to the end
Legendary soulster Luther Vandross passed away on July 1. He was 54. Jason King explains that Vandross was, "a binge eater who swelled up if he lost a Grammy or a lover." What wasn't clear to anyone is that the lovers were male. Claiming it was the studio executives who kept Vandross in the closet, we do know that Vandross never came out as gay, bisexual or even straight for that matter, even if he did confess that his high school grades plummeted because he was in anguish over Diana Ross leaving the Supremes. King notes, "Vandross likely felt that confessing his sexual preference would destroy his crossover ambitions, and he was probably right."
There was, however, a price to pay. "Those same crossover ambitions forced him into an exhausting two decades of spin control, warding off AIDS rumors, never (being) able to bring preferred company onto red carpets. He admitted to biographer Craig Seymour that the taxing offstage maintenance of his open secret reinforced the onstage melancholy that made his records go multiplatinum." Whatever the case, from this fan's perspective it was Never Too Much. Rest in peace Luther.
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