Madonna has removed an image of Luther Vandross from the AIDS tribute section of her ongoing ‘Celebration’ tour.
The moment came during a recent show as part of her world tour, which includes a section paying tribute to those who have died of AIDS-related illnesses. For the segment, pictures of famous faces such as Herb Ritts, Freddie Mercury and artist Keith Haring are shown, as the singer performs her 1986 song ‘Live To Tell’.
However, during her show in Sacramento on Saturday (February 24), a photograph of Luther Vandross was also included in the tribute, despite his cause of death not being related to AIDS.
In response, the estate of the late singer – who was famed for tracks including ‘Never Too Much’ and ‘Endless Love’ – have reached out to the pop star and requested to have his image taken down from the tribute.
“Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier,” a spokesperson from Luther’s estate told Page Six. “While we appreciate Madonna’s recognition of those lives lost to AIDS, Luther was NEVER diagnosed with AIDS or the HIV Virus.”
“We’re not sure where she or her production team received false medical information claiming otherwise,” it continued. “We’re currently in contact with her management to remove Luther Vandross from the tribute.”
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Following the estate reaching out, representatives for Madonna have confirmed that Vandross has been removed from the segment.
Luther Vandross remained closeted until the end of his career, and back in 2017 close friend Patti LaBelle explained why the artist chose not to open up about his sexuality.
“We talked about it,” Patti told Watch What Happens Live (via Music News). “Basically, he did not want his mother to be… although she might have known, but he wasn’t going to come out and say this to the world. And he had a lot of lady fans and he told me he just didn’t want to upset the world.”
In other Madonna news, the singer recently hit back at her ageist critics while appearing in a new Brazilian ad campaign.
“They call me the Queen of Pop. I know it’s a compliment, but the monarchy is in the past. I am not. I have no age. I’m all ages,” she said in the ad. “It’s not about who I am. It’s about how many I am. Count my achievements, not the number of years I have lived on this planet. I am always re-inventing myself, so that I can keep being myself.”