Dawn Porter’s documentary on the Grammy Award-winning singer premiered this year at Sundance Film Festival.
Luther Vandross remains
While Vandross would go on to have quite the career with multiple number 1s and critical success, he remained frustrated with his record label as, compared to other contemporaries of his, he had a hard time crossing over to the pop charts.
His frequent collaborator Richard Marx reveals in the documentary that the singer felt he was being treated in a racist way by the music executives. In an interview clip shown in the film, Vandross shares his frustrations, saying, “There is nothing wrong with adding new fans. When you pigeonhole an artist and make them an R&B singer, you are in a certain way doing them a disservice. The point is that I want to add new listeners and reach as many and as varied a group of people — that’s been something we’ve been working on forever.”
A major aspect saved for the end of the project is Vandross’ personal life, which was questioned for much of his life and after. While fans looking for any concrete declarations regarding his sexuality should not hold their breath, the film does paint his life as one of loneliness.
While surrounded by dear friends and family, Vandross never seemed to have found a romantic partner. As his close friends say in the film, just look to the lyrics of his hit song “Any Love” to understand the late singer and how he viewed love throughout his life: “What a world for the lonely guy / Sometimes I feel I’m gonna lose my mind / Can anybody tell me just where to find / Any love, any love?”
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