Cult singer Betty Davis has died at the age of 77. Her friend Danielle Maggio confirmed this to Rolling Stone. According to acquaintances from the wider environment, she died of natural causes.
The ex-wife of jazz legend Miles Davis († 65) began her career as a model at the age of 16 and was known to the likes of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix and funk star Sly Stone.
Betty Davis married trumpeter Miles Davis, who was 19 years her senior, in 1968. The marriage lasted only a year. Nevertheless, it was she who had a decisive influence on his music. After marrying Miles Davis, she is said to have been in a relationship with blues star Eric Clapton and singer Robert Palmer.
In 1973, Davis released her first album, Betty Davis. Two more albums followed in 1974 and 1975. Their biggest successes include songs like “It’s My Life”, “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up” and “Get Ready for Betty”. There was no great commercial success, but today their albums are cult.
In the early 1980s, Davis chose a life away from the public eye. For 40 years, she was out of the limelight – until 2019 when she released her first song in decades: “A Little Bit Hot Tonight”, written and produced by herself and sung by her friend Danielle Maggio.
With just three albums, Betty Davis became a funk legend.