Clarence Avant wasn’t a singer, an athlete, a politician, or an actor — but for decades, he was one of the most recognizable names in entertainment, operating almost exclusively behind the scenes to connect and uplift countless musicians and influential figures to greatness.

“I’m here because I met Clarence Avant,” says Grammy Award-winning soul singer and songwriter Bill Withers in the opening scene of The Black Godfather, a 2019 documentary that charts Avant’s exceptional life. “How do you put together a life from just knowing people?”

But until his death on Aug. 13 at age 92, that’s exactly what Avant did: built an extraordinary, influential life by getting to know people, understanding their talent, and connecting them with each other. Withers, who gave his final interview for the film before his death in 2020, says the music executive single-handedly changed his life and took him from a career as an aircraft mechanic to a professional musician. Avant guided countless entertainers at pivotal moments in their lives and careers. 

“Clarence Avant isn’t just the ‘Godfather Of Black Music,’ he is our cultural Godfather,” JAY-Z’s Roc Nation Entertainment shared a collective statement. “Throughout his life, he burst through doors and tore down ceilings, changing lives and providing opportunities for generations. A true pioneer, a mentor and a champion, Clarence Avant is and always will be a giant among us.”

The Black Godfather brings many of these artists together — in fact, the sheer volume of subjects in director Reginald Hudlin’s film speaks to Avant’s reach and impact. 

“He had an innate sense of goodness and fairness and was able to have the drive and willpower to succeed without compromising his values, and use that success to help people,” Hudlin told the LA Times in an interview after Avant’s death. Hudlin says that considering the Hollywood and political landscape in America without Avant’s influence is “literally unimaginable,” adding, “Everyone was grateful for an opportunity to testify on behalf of Clarence [for the documentary]. I mean, people who regularly turn down interviews [were like] ‘Oh, it’s Clarence, well that’s different.’”

The film features interviews with massive superstars in music, including his best friend Quincy Jones, who said Avant has been the “silent architect of so many deals, it would make your head spin.” Other artist interviews include Lionel Richie, Sean Combs, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg; label legends like Berry Gordy, Benny Medina, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, L.A. Reid and Babyface, Clive Davis, and David Geffen; career politicians and activists, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Al Sharpton, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The film also stands as the last testament to some of entertainment’s brightest lights: In addition to Withers, the film features final interviews with actress Cicely Tyson; athletes Hank Aaron and Jim Brown; prominent music executives Oscar Cohen, Sid Sheinberg, Andre Harrell, Joe Smith, and Jesus Garber; and A&M Records co-founder Jerry Moss, who died just three days after Avant on Aug. 16. 

It’s an astonishing number of names, all of whom say Avant’s influence completely changed their lives, even when they couldn’t see a path forward themselves. At the center of The Black Godfather is Avant himself, whose sense of humor and sharp candor make it easy to understand how his charisma and business acumen brought him from an impoverished childhood in the Jim Crow South to one of the most high-powered, not to mention whitest, industries in America, navigating deep-seated racism and prejudices throughout. 

“Clarence was part of a generation that served as a bridge from a time when there was very little opportunity for Black people to a time when doors began to open,” former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wrote in a joint statement following the news of his death. “He demanded the world make room, and he paved the way for the rest of us.”

The Black Godfather delves into how Avant defied any preconceived idea about what a Black executive was “allowed” to do, and shows how he brought others with him along the way. And, of course, how Avant built his own success — as he says in one of his most notable catchphrases, repeated frequently throughout the film, “Life is about numbers. Nothing else.”

Perhaps the most poignant moments in The Black Godfather, though, are Avant’s conversations with his family, including his late wife, Jacqueline, who tragically died in 2021 after being shot in their Beverly Hills home. The Black Godfather also features interviews with Avant’s children, Alexander and Nicole, the latter of whom produced the film and is married to Netflix co-CEO and CCO Ted Sarandos. Both Alexander and Nicole offer a more intimate look at who their father was at his core.

“I told him the other day, ‘If you left this planet tomorrow, you fulfilled your purpose,’ ” Nicole Avant says at the end of the film, an emotional foreshadowing of his death earlier this week. “He never wavered from it. No matter what business he was in, he knew his purpose was, Black people are going to move forward.”

Watch The Black Godfather on Netflix now.