#Theresa Benz

[rvros]

Me, before an important event, who knows I look terrible with any sort of fringe:

I should get a fringe

[nikethestatue]

From your previous ask: “As long as it's not 'The new ACOTAR Novella is coming and will tell Amren's story' I am okay.”

I had never considered this and now I am afraid you’ve spoken it into fruition. BB just found their next thing to elongate this ship war even longer :(((( why would you suggest something so cruel, they are LISTENING

On a serious note, I could completely see them doing some BS like this, giving a novella to Amren, Mor, etc before writing elriel and sweet mother Theresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz, I will lose it if this happens

In my defense, i am not the first person to say this! LOL

I dont think that that will happen, because i feel like she needs to deliver a whole novel now for ACOTAR, but truthfully i prefer to keep my expectations low, and be pleasantly surprised, than be all madly confident and then eat crow.

Expect the worst, hope for the best.

[redxriiot]

There is no more beautiful string of words than ‘pinche pendejo sonuvabitch’

[tothemeadow]

MOTHER THERESA ON THE HOOD OF A MERCEDES BENZ HOLY SHIT

Sir!!!! You are built like a whore!!!! I wanna snap that hip strap!!!

[georginavon]

head of staff: theresa baumann ( mariska hargitay )

head of security: stefan konzett ( shemar moore )

pr & communications: imelda ritter ( jessica lucas )

legal counsel: sabina giesinger ( claire holt )

stylist: lucinda hill ( anna diop )

physician: dr. johannes weiss ( james mcavoy )

private secretary/lady-in-waiting: ulrike benz ( anais mali )

personal assistant/lady-in-waiting: susanna roth ( anya chalotra )

lady-in-waiting: franziska hassler ( julia frauenrath )

HEAD OF STAFF — theresa baumann.

theresa has worked for her family for as long as georgina could remember, first working for one of georgina’s aunts as her lady-in-waiting, then private secretary, and when georgina began to pull together her team of staff, it was theresa who she recruited first. theresa manages all of the staff — their schedules, their pay, their issues. nobody makes work look quite as easy as theresa does, she’s a queen of multitasking and is known to all staff in the liechtenstein royal family, not only georgina’s, as the go-to woman.

HEAD OF SECURITY — stefan konzett.

stefan was a hire all of georgina’s own, her head of security passed down from her mother retired when gi was twenty-three, and so she went on a hunt to find an appropriate replacement. at the time, stefan was working for a ceo in new york, though he was originally from liechtenstein. a chance encounter meant that they crossed paths and georgina didn’t rest until he agreed to head her security team. stefan is incredibly hands on, and is happy to let theresa handle most of the hiring process when it comes to the rest of the security team — except for the trial he always makes new hires undertake. 

PR & COMMUNICATIONS — imelda ritter.

ellie was a le rosey alum that gi kept in touch with even though they went their separate ways at graduation. ellie went off to oxford, intending to study law, and georgina would be lying if she didn’t have her in mind to join the legal team once she’d graduated and returned to switzerland. but imelda took a turn at oxford and found her passion in public relations, which served georgina just fine, and two years after imelda graduated from oxford, and worked and trained to be ready to dive deep into royal pr, gi brought her onto the team. imelda is one of the few members of her team who works remotely, and she always has, choosing to stay in geneva and do all of her work from afar, unless she’s needed for a press conference, in which case she’s only a flight away. 

LEGAL COUNSEL — sabina giesinger.

sabina was the daughter of a liechtensteiner count who simply refused to be so simple and work for one of the princesses as a lady-in-waiting. instead she went to university and got her law degree, working hard for her place in the world and only caving to her father’s pressure to seek a position in the royal family's legal team when their family came into financial issues. georgina rarely has legal troubles, but in recent times, she’s been turning to sabina more and more, set on them both finding a way of stopping her father from allowing his unborn bastard from taking her place as their heir of liechtenstein. 

STYLIST — lucinda hill.

lucinda is another member of her team who works entirely remotely, as her home base and other clients are located in new york. gi met lucinda when she attended the met gala when she was in college, and with lucinda’s portfolio practically on display for her, georgina practically made the decision to hire her on the spot. they’ve been working together ever since and they find that they’re rather a match made in heaven, lucinda understands gi’s style more than gi does sometimes, but works best when it’s a collaborative effort which georgina loves.

PHYSICIAN — dr. johannes weiss.

she doesn’t need a physician often, thankfully, but when she does she turns to johannes. he works from vaduz, and has monthly check-ins with gi, mainly in case something gets flagged, but he runs his own practice and as such has remained in liechtenstein. he and georgina have already agreed that unless absolutely necessary it’s best for him to remain there, but both understand that he is just one very long flight away if he’s needed. 

PRIVATE SECRETARY/LADY-IN-WAITING — ulrike benz.

ulrike is the only lady in waiting that georgina has had with her since they were quite young, being introduced at age five, ulrike goes everywhere gi goes. her father was the wealthiest count in liechtenstein, and so when georgina was sent to le rosey, ulrike followed. when georgina went to columbia, ulrike followed. it was all done by ulrike’s father to gain the favour of georgina’s, but he didn’t know quite how hard alois would be to impress. ulrike and georgina have been fast friends since their youth, and even though her father is consistently on her case to give up intimate details about gi to take to alois, ulrike has never been anything but a vault when it comes to gi. she is the person georgina trusts most in the world.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT/LADY-IN-WAITING — susanna roth.

susanna is younger that gi, although you wouldn’t be able to tell. she’s wise beyond her years, diligent and immensely loyal. there are many indispensable people on gi’s team, but susanna is very close to the top of the list. she’s the one who runs the mundane parts of gi’s day, her organisational systems keep everything moving smoothly. she’s also the one who mediates communication between georgina and her family, while gi had long since given up on her parents, communication with them is a necessary evil, and susanna is the person who tempers her occasional harsh words into flowery prose. 

LADY-IN-WAITING — franziska hassler.

franziska, or frankie as she prefers, is the youngest on her team, nearly ten years gi’s junior. she’s bright, full of energy, and entirely too draining to be around all of the time, even for georgina. she tried to leave her behind, send her back to her family in liechtenstein, but the prospect of joining the program excited frankie far too much and gi began to feel guilty. she’s the only lady-in-waiting in her team who hasn’t been given an additional job, and it’s merely because she definitely doesn’t display any type of ability to focus on a given task for more than ten minutes at a time. georgina is hoping she’ll meet someone in the program and get married, so she can gently encourage her to quit.

[one-winged-dreams]

Ship: kiss of a beast Word Count: 953

@xzadionselfships and @sosoftandsweet got me back on my DoC shit and I’m gay for one big blue man, enjoy some shitty insomnia writing.

9'5"

Jesus fucking Christmas.

Adri's middle finger slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose from whence they were known to often slip as he scribbled the numbers down on his clipboard.

"I'll take your weight now. Step on the scale, please." he requested, his mind still reeling at the patient's measurements.

9'5"

From a totally clinical standpoint; That was a lot of man.

As the patient silently did as he had been asked, Adri thought back. Around this time last year, he had been doing regular medical work for SOLDIER. Now?

The scale finally leveled at 440 lbs.

"You can step down now, thank you Azul."

Now he was giving physicals to Tsviets.

As he scribbled away on his clipboard he didn't notice the large man standing closer to him, leaning forward slightly as if inspecting.

"You seem distracted, doctor." came Azul's rumbling voice closer than anticipated.

Adri jumped, dropping his pen. Looking up he saw Azul's golden gaze boring into him, almost stone-faced save for the subtle upturned corner of his lips. He became flushed immediately.

"O-Oh? My apologies. I'll do my best to remain as professional as possible..." he cursed himself for stammering as he bent down to pick up the pen.

When he straightened, Azul was standing even closer.

"It wasn't a complaint. Admittedly, I'm curious about the thoughts running through your head right now." the Cerulean admitted bluntly, his words immediately flustering Adri.

He briefly pondered the motive behind his question, the proximity working in tandem with the larger man's words to fluster him even more.

Was it possible? Could he actually be intereste-

Adri shook his head.

"Just... Just thinking about the past. My old job."

What they had going on here wasn't remotely professional, he really ought to wrap this up and send the Tsviet on his way.

"Do you prefer it to this one?" Came yet another question.

Adri cleared his throat awkwardly, caught off guard. He made a gesture for Azul to follow him and then made a motion for him to sit at the examination table. As he did, Adri turned around and started fiddling with a machine, avoiding looking at him at all costs.

"I think... I like this one better." His face burned, why oh why did his traitorous blood beseech him like this. Why always around HIM?

He heard a low deep chuckle that made his heart skip a beat.

"Is that right?"

Adri didn't respond, merely swallowing the lump in his throat before turning around. "I'm gonna check your pulse and blood pressure now." he did his best to speak without his voice cracking.

Azul seemed satisfied with Adri's silent response, cooperating perfectly as the doctor attached a small clamp to his finger.

This would be the part where Adri would have to wrap the blood pressure monitor around his arm, and the crushing weight of that responsibility was almost too much to bear.

Trying to control his breathing without breaking out into hyperventilation, he gently gripped Azul's bicep and sweet Mother Theresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz hallelujah holy SHIT.

Seconds ticked by before he realized he had been doing nothing save for trying to process the feeling of what he was holding on to, coughing loudly in embarrassment before wrapping the monitor around his arm.

"This uh... Might be a little tight." he half-muttered as he turned to the machine.

"I don't mind."

Silence.

"The monitor doesn't bother me either."

Adri's head whipped around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Azul's composed subtly amused expression was quite the contrast to his own red-faced look of mortification.

He wasn't sure he ever imagined the Cerulean having a playful side, but it was there, and it was KILLING HIM.

The machine finally finished collecting its data and Adri hurriedly scribbled on his clipboard.

"A-All your vital signs are..." he trailed off. They were mostly normal, but he couldn't help but notice his resting heart rate was a few more bpm than usual. He looked up to Azul, who remained patiently seated. A wistful sigh almost escaped him as he took in his features for the millionth time. "Good. Everything looks good."

He was a medical professional.

"You're free to leave, Azul, thank you for your time and patience." his voice shook slightly, once again he had to swallow a lump that had developed in his throat.

Azul stood, making his way wordlessly towards the door. It was over now and Adri could finally relax as he began to disinfect his equipment and put it away.

"I wanted to thank you for your prognosis, doctor." came Azul's voice from the doorway.

Adri jumped, thoroughly startled, before turning around. As far as Azul went, a 'thank you' for little to no reason was a bit strange.

"N-No problem. It's my job, I mean. You're a good patient."

?????????????

STUPID IDIOT.

Azul's smile became less subtle and Adri wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"It's a pleasure to work with you, doctor. Maybe someday you'll share those OTHER thoughts that you seem to have on your mind. I'll look forward to it."

Azul's laugh echoed through the hallway as he left and Adri fell back into his chair, the force of it rolling him backward a few feet. He sat slumped, eyes fixed on the ceiling as he cursed himself for acting so dumb in front of a patient. Not even just a patient. Fuck.

Without bothering to look, he reached over and pulled the clipboard from the counter, holding it above his head and staring intently at it. The small profile shot of Azul stared back at him from the upper left corner.

9'5"

Damn

[thunder-rolled-a-seven]

Me, still not even halfway through Warhammer lore: "That's it. All y'all just need to get absorbed by that hivemind and call it the end. I'm placing you all on timeout. F- on friendship. "Berserk" isn't even this bad. And that's bad.

...No, seriously, I'm literally whisper-whining "omg wtf" every 5 minutes.

...

Still very interesting, and my mind is going absolutely wild with side stories, but sweet Saint Theresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz this universe needs therapy.

[blackkudos]

Luther Vandross

Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Throughout his career, Vandross was an in-demand background vocalist for several different artists including Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, and Donna Summer. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its gold-certified debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981.

His hit songs include "Never Too Much", "Here and Now", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power", "I Can Make It Better" and "For You to Love". Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such as "If This World Were Mine" (duet with Cheryl Lynn), "Since I Lost My Baby", "Superstar" and "Always and Forever". Duets such as "The Closer I Get to You" with Beyoncé, "Endless Love" with Mariah Carey and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with Janet Jackson were all hit songs in his career.

During his career, Vandross sold over 35 million records worldwide, and received eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. He won a total of four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, "Dance with My Father".

Early life

Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. was born on April 20, 1951, at Bellevue Hospital, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. He was the fourth child and second son of Mary Ida Vandross and Luther Vandross, Sr. His father was an upholsterer and singer, and his mother was a nurse. Vandross was raised in Manhattan's Lower East Side in the NYCHA Alfred E. Smith Houses public housing development. At the age of three, having his own phonograph, Vandross taught himself to play the piano by ear.

Vandross's father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. In 2003, Vandross wrote the song "Dance with My Father" and dedicated it to him; the title was based on his childhood memories and his mother's recollections of the family singing and dancing in the house. His family moved to the Bronx when he was nine. His sisters, Patricia "Pat" and Ann began taking Vandross to the Apollo Theater and to a theater in Brooklyn to see Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. Patricia sang with the vocal group The Crests and was featured on the songs "My Juanita" and "Sweetest One".

Vandross graduated from William Howard Taft High School in the Bronx in 1969, and attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music.

Career

While in high school, Vandross founded the first Patti LaBelle fan club, of which he was president. He also performed in a group, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater. During his early years in show business he appeared several times at the Apollo's famous amateur night. While a member of a theater workshop, Listen My Brother, he was involved in the singles "Only Love Can Make a Better World" and "Listen My Brother". He appeared with the group in several episodes of the first season of Sesame Street during 1969–1970.

1970s: Back-up vocalist and first groups

Vandross added backing vocals to Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway in 1972, and worked on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album (1973). He sang with her on the song "Who's Gonna Make It Easier for Me", which he wrote, and he contributed another song, "In This Lonely Hour". Having co-written "Fascination" for David Bowie's Young Americans (1975), he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974. Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice" for the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz.

Vandross also sang backing vocals for artists including Roberta Flack,Chaka Khan, Ben E. King, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer, and for the bands Mandrill, Chic and Todd Rundgren's Utopia.

Before his solo breakthrough, Vandross was part of a singing quintet in the late 1970s named Luther, consisting of former Shades of Jade members Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler, as well as Theresa V. Reed, and Christine Wiltshire, signed to Cotillion Records. Although the singles "It's Good for the Soul", "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)", and "The Second Time Around" were relatively successful, their two albums, the self-titled Luther (1976) and This Close to You (1977), which Vandross produced, did not sell enough to make the charts. Vandross bought back the rights to those albums after Cotillion dropped the group, preventing them from being re-released.

Vandross also wrote and sang commercial jingles from 1977 until the early 1980s, for companies including NBC, Mountain Dew, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, and Juicy Fruit. He continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 1970s.

In 1978, Vandross sang lead vocals for Greg Diamond's disco band, Bionic Boogie, on the song titled "Hot Butterfly". Also in 1978, he appeared on Quincy Jones's Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!, most notably on the song "I'm Gonna Miss You in the Morning" along with Patti Austin. Vandross also sang with the band Soirée and was the lead vocalist on the track "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"; he also contributed background vocals to the album along with Jocelyn Brown and Sharon Redd, each of whom also saw solo success. Additionally, he sang the lead vocals on the group Mascara's LP title song "See You in L.A." released in 1979. Vandross also appeared on the group Charme's 1979 album Let It In.

1980s: Change and solo breakthrough

Vandross made his career breakthrough as a featured singer with the vaunted pop-dance act Change, a studio concept created by French-Italian businessman Jacques Fred Petrus. Their 1980 hits, "The Glow of Love" (by Romani, Malavasi and Garfield) and "Searching" (by Malavasi), featured Vandross as the lead singer. In a 2001 interview with Vibe, Vandross said "The Glow of Love" was "the most beautiful song I've ever sung in my life." Both songs were from Change's debut album, The Glow of Love.

Vandross was originally intended to perform on their second and highly successful album Miracles in 1981, but declined the offer as Petrus didn't pay enough money. Vandross's decision led to a recording contract with Epic Records that same year, but he also provided background vocals on "Miracles" and on the new Petrus-created act, the B. B. & Q. Band in 1981. During that hectic year Vandross jump-started his second attempt at a solo career with his debut album, Never Too Much. In addition to the hit title track it contained a version of the Dionne Warwick song "A House Is Not a Home".

The song "Never Too Much", written by him, reached number-one on the R&B charts. This period also marked the beginning of songwriting collaboration with bassist Marcus Miller, who played on many of the tracks and would also produce or co-produce a number of tracks for Vandross. The Never Too Much album was arranged by Vandross's high school classmate Nat Adderley, Jr., a collaboration that would last through Vandross's career.

Vandross released a series of successful R&B albums during the 1980s and continued his session work with guest vocals on groups like Charme in 1982. Many of his earlier albums made a bigger impact on the R&B charts than on the pop charts. During the 1980s, two of Vandross's singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts: "Stop to Love", in 1986, and a duet with Gregory Hines—"There's Nothing Better Than Love." Vandross was at the helm as producer for Aretha Franklin's Gold-certified, award-winning comeback album Jump to It. He also produced the follow-up album, 1983's Get It Right.

In 1983, the opportunity to work with his main musical influence, Dionne Warwick, came about with Vandross producing, writing songs, and singing on How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye, her fourth album for Arista Records. The title track duet reached No. 27 on the Hot 100 chart (#7 R&B/#4 Adult Contemporary), while the second single, "Got a Date" was a moderate hit (#45 R&B/#15 Club Play).

Vandross wrote and produced "It's Hard for Me to Say" for Diana Ross from her Red Hot Rhythm & Blues album. Ross performed the song as an a cappella tribute to Oprah Winfrey on her final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show. She then proceeded to add it to her successful 2010–12 "More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour. Vandross also recorded a version of this song on his Your Secret Love album in 1996.

In December 1985, Vandross filed a libel suit against a British magazine after it attributed his 85-pound weight loss to AIDS. He weighed 325 pounds when he started a diet in May that year.

In 1985, Vandross first spotted the talent of Jimmy Salvemini, who was fifteen at the time, on Star Search. He thought Salvemini had the perfect voice for some of his songs, and contacted him. He was managed by his brother, Larry Salvemini. A contract was negotiated with Elektra Records for $250,000 and Vandross agreed to produce the album. He contacted his old friends - Cheryl Lynn, Alfa Anderson (Chic), Phoebe Snow and Irene Cara - to appear on the record. After the album was completed, Luther, Jimmy, and Larry decided to celebrate. On January 12, 1986, they were riding in Vandross's 1985 convertible Mercedes-Benz on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, in the north section of Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. Luther was driving at 48 mph in a 35 mph zone when his Mercedes veered across the double yellow center line of the two lane street, turned sideways and collided with the front of a 1972 Mercury Marquis that was headed southbound, then swung around and hit a 1979 Cadillac Seville head on. Vandross and Jimmy were rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Larry, who was in the passenger seat, was killed during the collision. Vandross suffered three broken ribs, a broken hip, several bruises and facial cuts. Jimmy, who was in the back of the car, had cuts, bruises and contusions. Vandross faced vehicular manslaughter charges as a result of Larry's death, and his driving license was suspended for a year. There was no evidence Vandross was under the influence of alcohol or other drugs; he pleaded no contest to reckless driving. At first, the Salvemini family was supportive of Vandross, but later filed a wrongful death suit against him. The case was settled out of court with a payment to the Salvemini family for about $630,000. Jimmy Salvemini's album, Roll It, was released later that year.

Vandross also sang the ad-libs and background vocals, along with Syreeta Wright and Philip Bailey, in Stevie Wonder's 1985 hit "Part-Time Lover". In 1986, he voiced a cartoon character named Zack for ABC's Zack of All Trades, a three Saturday morning animated PSA spots.

The 1989 compilation album The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love included the ballad "Here and Now", his first single to chart in the Billboard pop chart top ten, peaking at number six.

1990s

In 1990, Vandross wrote, produced and sang background for Whitney Houston in a song entitled "Who Do You Love" which appeared on her I'm Your Baby Tonight album. That year, he guest starred on the television sitcom 227.

More albums followed in the 1990s, beginning with 1991's Power of Love which spawned two top ten pop hits. He won his first Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1991. He won his second Best Male R&B Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 1992, and his track "Power of Love/Love Power" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in the same year. In 1992, "The Best Things in Life Are Free", a duet with Janet Jackson from the movie Mo' Money became a hit. In 1993, he had a brief non-speaking role in the Robert Townsend movie The Meteor Man. He played a hit man who plotted to stop Townsend's title character.

Vandross hit the top ten again in 1994, teaming with Mariah Carey on a cover version of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's duet "Endless Love". It was included on the album Songs, a collection of songs which had inspired Vandross over the years. He also appears on "The Lady Is a Tramp" released on Frank Sinatra's Duets album. At the Grammy Awards of 1997, he won his third Best Male R&B Vocal for the track "Your Secret Love".

A second greatest hits album, released in 1997, compiled most of his 1990s hits and was his final album released through Epic Records. After releasing I Know on Virgin Records, he signed with J Records. His first album on Clive Davis's new label, entitled Luther Vandross, was released in 2001, and it produced the hits "Take You Out" (#7 R&B/#26 Pop), and "I'd Rather" (#17 Adult Contemporary/#40 R&B/#83 Pop). Vandross scored at least one top 10 R&B hit every year from 1981–1994.

In 1997, Vandross sang the American national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", during Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.

2000s

He made two public appearances at Diana Ross's Return to Love Tour: at its opening in Philadelphia at First Union Spectrum and its final stop at Madison Square Garden on July 6, 2000.

In September 2001, Vandross performed a rendition of Michael Jackson's hit song "Man in the Mirror" at Jackson's 30th Anniversary special, alongside Usher and 98 Degrees.

In 2002, he performed his final concerts during his last tour, The BK Got Soul Tour starring Vandross featuring Angie Stone and Gerald Levert.

In the spring of 2003, Vandross's last collaboration was Doc Powell's "What's Going On", a cover of Marvin Gaye from Powell's album 97th and Columbus.

In 2003, Vandross released the album Dance with My Father. It sold 442,000 copies in the first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. The title track of the same name, which was dedicated to Vandross's childhood memories of dancing with his father, won Vandross and his co-writer, Richard Marx, the 2004 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The song also won Vandross his fourth and final award in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category. The album was his only career No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. The video for the title track features various celebrities alongside their fathers and other family members. The second single released from the album, "Think About You", was the number one Urban Adult Contemporary Song of 2004 according to Radio & Records.

In 2003, after the televised NCAA Men's Basketball championship, CBS Sports gave "One Shining Moment" a new look. Vandross, who had been to only one basketball game in his life, was the new singer, and the video had none of the special effects, like glowing basketballs and star trails, that videos from previous years had. This song version is in use today.

Personal life

Vandross was never married and had no children. His older siblings all predeceased him.

Vandross's sexual orientation was a subject of media speculation. Jason King, writing in Vandross's obituary in The Village Voice, said: "Though he never came out as gay or bisexual, you had to be wearing blinders." According to Gene Davis, a television producer who worked with Vandross, "Everybody in the business knew that Luther was gay". In 2006, Bruce Vilanch, a friend and colleague of Vandross, told Out magazine, "He said to me, 'No one knows I'm in the life.' ... He had very few sexual contacts". According to Vilanch, Vandross experienced his longest romantic relationship with a man while living in Los Angeles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In December 2017, his friend Patti LaBelle confirmed that Vandross was, in fact, gay.

Illness and death

Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension. On April 16, 2003, Vandross suffered a severe stroke at his home in New York City and was in a coma for nearly two months. The stroke affected his ability to speak and sing, and required him to use a wheelchair.

At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Vandross appeared in a pre-taped video segment to accept his Song of the Year Award for "Dance with My Father", saying, "When I say goodbye it's never for long, because I believe in the power of love" (Vandross sang the last six words). His mother, Mary, accepted the award in person on his behalf. His last public appearance was on May 6, 2004, on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Vandross died on July 1, 2005, at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, at the age of 54 of a heart attack.

Vandross's funeral was held at Riverside Church in New York City on July 8, 2005. Cissy Houston, founding member of The Sweet Inspirations and mother of Whitney Houston, sang at the funeral service. Vandross was entombed at the George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey. He was survived by his mother, Mary Ida Vandross, who died in 2008.

Voice

Possessing a tenor vocal range, Vandross was commonly referred to as "The Velvet Voice" in reference to his exceptional vocal talent, and was sometimes called "The Best Voice of a Generation". He was also regarded as the "Pavarotti of Pop" by many critics.

In 2008, Vandross was ranked No. 54 on Rolling Stone magazine's List of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Mariah Carey stated several times in interviews that standing next to Vandross while recording their duet "Endless Love" was intimidating.

By popular vote, Vandross was inducted into The SoulMusic Hall of Fame at SoulMusic.com in December 2012.

Tribute

In 1999, Whitney Houston sang Vandross's "So Amazing" as a tribute to Vandross as he sat in the audience during the Soul Train Awards. Johnny Gill, El DeBarge, and Kenny Lattimore provided background vocals. On July 27, 2004, GRP Records released a smooth jazz various artists tribute album, Forever, for Always, for Luther, including ten popular songs written by Vandross. The album featured vocal arrangements by Luther, and was produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Rideout had co-authored songs, contributed arrangements and played keyboards on Vandross's final three albums. The tribute album was mixed by Ray Bardani, who recorded and mixed most of Luther's music over the years. It featured an ensemble of smooth jazz performers, many of whom had previously worked with Vandross.

On September 20, 2005, the album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross was released. The album is a collection of some of his songs performed by various artists, including Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Fantasia, Beyoncé, Donna Summer, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Angie Stone, Jamie Foxx, Teddy Pendergrass, and Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for her rendition of "A House Is Not a Home", and Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé won a Grammy for their cover of "So Amazing".

The violin duo Nuttin' But Stringz did a remix of the song "Dance with My Father" for their album Struggle from the Subway to the Charts, which was released on October 3, 2006.On November 21, 2006, saxophonist Dave Koz released a followup to the earlier smooth jazz GRP tribute album, this time on his own Rendezvous Entertainment label, an album called Forever, for Always, for Luther Volume II, also produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Dave Koz played on all the featured Luther Vandross tracks, which were recorded by various smooth jazz artists.

In 2007, Deniece Williams included "Never Too Much" on her Love, Niecy Style CD. Williams said that she recorded the song to say "I love you" to her old friend. In the music video "Bye Bye" from Mariah Carey Vandross's picture appears in the closing images. His image was included as a tribute along with various other deceased people with whom Carey had collaborated.

In 2008, Keyshia Cole sang the outro to "Luther Vandross" on "Playa Cardz Right", which featured rapper Tupac Shakur from her 2008 album, A Different Me. Guitarist Norman Brown did a rendition of "Any Love" on his 1994 album After The Storm. R&B band 112 sampled Vandross's "Don't You Know That" to make their song "Love Me" on their second album Room 112. Saxophonist Boney James covered his rendition on his final track "The Night I Fell in Love" on Backbone in 1994.

Vandross has been cited as an influence on a number of other artists, including 112, Boyz II Men, D'Angelo, Hootie & the Blowfish, Jaheim, John Legend, Mint Condition, Ne-Yo, Ruben Studdard, and Usher. Stokley Williams, the lead singer of Mint Condition, has said that he has "studied Luther for such a long time because he was the epitome of perfect tone." On his influence, John Legend has said, "All us people making slow jams now, we was inspired by the slow jams Luther Vandross was making."

In 2010, NPR included Vandross in its 50 Greatest Voices in recorded history, saying Vandross represents "the platinum standard for R&B song stylings." The announcement was made on NPR's All Things Considered on November 29, 2010.

Author Craig Seymour wrote a book about Vandross called Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. The book includes numerous interviews with Vandross.

New releases

J Records released a song, "Shine"—an upbeat R&B track that samples Chic's disco song "My Forbidden Lover"—which reached No. 31 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song was originally slated to be released on the soundtrack to the movie, The Fighting Temptations, but it was shelved. A later remix of the song peaked at No. 10 on the Club Play chart. "Shine" and a track titled "Got You Home" were previously unreleased songs on The Ultimate Luther Vandross (2006), a greatest hits album on Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings that was released August 22, 2006.

On October 16, 2007, Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings released a 4-disc boxed set titled Love, Luther. It features nearly all of Vandross's R&B and pop hits throughout his career, as well as unreleased live tracks, alternate versions, and outtakes from sessions that Vandross recorded. The set also includes "There's Only You", a version of which had originally appeared on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Made in Heaven.

In October 2015, Sony Music released a re-configured edition of its The Essential Luther Vandross compilation containing three unreleased songs: "Love It, Love It" (which made its premiere a year prior on the UK compilation The Greatest Hits), a live recording of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with Paul Simon and Jennifer Holliday, and a cover of Astrud Gilberto's "Look to the Rainbow."

Discography

Luther (1976)

This Close to You (1977)

Never Too Much (1981)

Forever, for Always, for Love (1982)

Busy Body (1983)

The Night I Fell in Love (1985)

Give Me the Reason (1986)

Any Love (1988)

Power of Love (1991)

Never Let Me Go (1993)

Songs (1994)

This Is Christmas (1995)

Your Secret Love (1996)

I Know (1998)

Luther Vandross (2001)

Dance with My Father (2003)

Tours

Luther Tour (1981)

Forever For Always For Love Tour (1982–1983)

Busy Body Tour (1984)

The Night I Fell in Love Tour (1985–1986)

Give Me the Reason Tour (1987)

Any Love World Tour (1988–1989)

Best of Love Tour (1990)

The Power of Love Tour (1991)

Never Let Me Go World Tour (1993–1994)

Your Secret Love World Tour (1997)

Take You Out Tour (2001–2002)

BK Got Soul Tour (2002)

Awards

Grammy AwardSoul Train Music AwardsAmerican Music AwardHollywood Walk of Fame

Inducted: Star (Posthumous; June 3, 2014)

See also

List of quiet storm songs

Luther Burger

Craig Seymour

[mytrainline]

when will the snk crack makers return from the war

[kirito-kuro-no-kenshi]

YOU SHRIMP-DICKED FUCK NUGGET. WELL SWEET MOTHER THERESA ON THE HOOD OF A MERCEDES BENZ.

[redxriiot]

Sweet Mother Theresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz

[nana-luna]

Nana I swear to Mother Theresa in the hood of a Mercedes Benz I need more of your Shingeki sims adventures wether it's here or in the discord chat. Like, I live for them. I need them to b r e a t h e

I miss them too :c sadly, my pc and sims 4 didn't go along very well. Still, I keep my saves and mod ready for better times and greenest fields...

[incorrect-aura-kingdom]

Aelius: WELL, SWEET MOTHER THERESA ON THE HOOD OF A MERCEDES BENZ! YOU SOUND LIKE A MAJESTIC FUCKIN’ EAGLE!!!

[symbioteburnout]

Abandoned Mask

-||[ The Masks We Wear ]||-

Send in ‘Abandoned Mask’ to meet a muse I’ve had in the past that I no longer roleplay.

@magnificentmuses

“WELL SWEET MOTHER THERESA ON THE HOOD OF A MERCEDES BENZ! YOU SOUND LIKE A MAJESTIC FUCKING EAGLE! CAN YA SING?”

“HARMONIZE WITH ME, MAGGOT!”

[an-apocalypse-of-magpies]

This robot wants us to find a part so it can perform an AI system update. All it needs is ... a quintillion-core processor?!

Sweet Mother Theresa on the Hood of a Mercedes-Benz, there’s multi-threading, then there’s ... whatever that’s good for. Processing a literal universe, I suppose

[savethetvdonotforgettovote]

MESSAGES FROM HEAVEN

DEAR MR PAUL THERESA HOECK ,

WHY DID YOU HAVE ME

PETER MAX AKMANS

ARRESTED ? SENT TO JAIL PRISON ?

YOU TWO FUCKERS TAUGHT ME HOW

TO CHEAT EVERYONE OF YOUR

CUSTOMERS ! YOU PAUL THERESA

EVADE IRS TAXES !

I EVEN WROTE A LETTER TO

DAIMLER BENZ WITH ALL EVIDENCE

ON PAPER , BUT I GUESS EVEN

MERCEDES BENZ CHEATS WE THE

PEOPLE BECAUSE MERCEDES TOLD

ME THEY DON‘T CARE ABOUT

CORRUPT RICH PEOPLE CHEATING

THEM , MERCEDES BENZ IS JUST

INTERESTED IN CHEATING WE

POVERTY POOR PEOPLE !

MERCEDES BENZ THINKS NORMAL

AVERAGE EVERYDAY PEOPLE ARE

STUPID ASSES ANY COLOR PAINT

CANS !

EVERYONE AROUND THE EARTH

HEAR THIS ABOUT SCHAEFER TRANS

INC PAUL THERESA HOECK NOW :

THESE TWO CHEATING LYING FUCKS

THINK IT‘S JUST FINE DANDY LIKE

ICE CREAM CANDY WHEN THEY

CHEAT STEAL EVADE TAXES BUT IF

THEY FEEL THEY GET CHEATED

THESE TWO FUCKS MAKE UP LIES

AND HAVE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE LIKE

ME ARRESTED SENT TO PRISON FOR

1000 YEARS !

YOU KNOW THERESA HOECK I OFTEN

WONDERED WHY YOU HAVE NO

PICTURES OF YOURSELF POSTED

ANY WHERE ? UNTIL ONE DAY MY

FATHER GOD SAID TO ME : SHE

DOESN‘T PETER BECAUSE SHE IS

ASHAMED OF HERSELF WHAT SHE

DID TO YOU MY SON ! SHE CAN‘T

EVEN

LOOK AT HER FUCKING FACE IN THE

MIRROR !

MY FATHER GOD SAID THAT IS

PUNISHMENT ENOUGH UGLY

ENOUGH TO THINK ABOUT THE

WHOLE END OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU

ARE GUILTY AS HELL FOR HAVING

JESUS CHRIST ARRESTED SENT TO

PRISON FOR THREE YEARS ! AS FOR

YOU MR CORRUPTION IS ME PAUL

HOECK , YOU DESERVE TO WALK A

MILE IN MY VIRGIN MARY HIGH

HEELS AND GET ARRESTED SENT TO

PRISON AND GO BANKRUPT SINCE

YOU FUCKER LOVE TO CHEAT STEAL

EVADE TAXES SO MUCH ! I URGE THE

FBI TO INVESTIGATE JAIL BANKRUPT

HIS GUILTY AS HELL WHITE NAZI ASS

I HOPE I PRAY BROTHERS SISTERS

WE ALL PUNISH BANKRUPT GUILTY

MOTHER FUCKERS !

TEACH THESE BITCHES BASTARDS

A LESSON NOT TO FUCK WITH THE

CHILDREN OF GOD !

THERESA I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU

CHOSE TO STAY WITH YOUR

FILTHY RICH HUSBAND

RATHER THEN TELL THE TRUTH

AND SAVE ME FROM

SUFFERING ARREST JAIL PRISON

YOU ARE A UGLY BAD WOMAN !

WHY THERESA AFTER ALL I DID FOR

YOU AND PAUL

AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN

PAUL ANDY !

I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY ?

YOU BOTH LOVE DIRTY MONEY

MORE THAN YOU LOVE ME GOD !