Madonna removes Luther Vandross from AIDS tribute during Celebration Tour

Madonna removes Luther Vandross from aids tribute

The legacy that celebrities leave behind is something that is cherished and treated with extreme care. Despite best efforts, the ability for damaging a legacy can happen overnight. Madonna is currently on her Celebration Tour, her twelfth concert tour that began last October. As the “material girl” tours 80-cities all over North America and Europe, she included a memorial portion dedicated to celebrities who have lost their battle to AIDS. One celebrity fans weren’t expecting to see in the memorial was Luther Vandross. After receiving backlash, Madonna has removed him from the memorial portion.

Both Luther Vandross and Madonna are legends that helped redefine music throughout the late 80’s and 90’s. As Madonna shaped the pop genre, Luther Vandross changed the sound of r&b and soul. Despite their high-profile status, they seemed to live different lives outside of their iconic music. With Madonna being more outspoken with her personal life, Luther Vandross was very quiet about his. Speculation throughout his career, lead fans to question his sexuality. However, Luther never publicly confirmed his sexual orientation.

After battling diabetes and heart issues, reports state Luther suddenly passed away in 2005 from stroke complications. Due to this reason, fans alike were confused to see the famous singer in an AIDS tribute. In a statement to Page Six, Luther’s estate confirmed the singer “did not have AIDS”, and urged Madonna to remove his image. That image has since been removed from the tribute.

Madonna removes Luther Vandross from aids tribute