29 June 2018, Thuringia, Eisenach: John Davis, singer of Milli Vanilli, at a performance in Eisenach. Photo by: Nico Schimmelpfennig/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
If you were around in the late 80’s you remember the scandal of Millie Vanilli. The disgraced pop band that was exposed as not singing any of their music. It was sung by another musician, while they danced and lip sync’d. Now that real singer has passed.
John Davis has died at the age of 66.
Davis’ daughter Jasmin confirmed her father’s death in a May 24th Facebook post, adding that he died from complications related to Covid-19, Variety reports. “He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music,” she wrote. “He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.”
Millie Vanilli’s U.S. debut album Girl You Know It’s True was released in 1989; that same year, questions about Milli Vanilli’s authenticity first arose when they were infamously caught lip-syncing during an MTV performance in July 1989. Despite growing doubts over the duo, Milli Vanilli still won Best New Artist at the 32nd Grammy Awards in February 1990.
However, just eight months later, that Grammy was revoked — the only time in the awards’ history that a Grammy win was taken away from an artist — after Farian announced that neither Morvan and Pilatus sang on any of their hits. The true singers, it was later revealed, were Brad Howell, Charles Shaw and Davis, a studio singer who previously released the electro album Destination Earth in 1984.