Clive Davis commends Frank Ocean for being “very brave” about his sexuality.
The 80-year-old music executive has been with the same male partner for nearly a decade now, but had two failed marriages with women before embracing his homosexuality.
Frank, who picked up a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album last month, wrote an open letter to fans on his Tumblr account in July 2012 revealing he was bisexual.
Clive is in awe of Frank’s courageousness.
"Put my story aside, it was very brave of him," Clive told MTV News.
"I'll tell you what was heartwarming was the reaction of the hip-hop community. I mean, they accepted him as a person. This could have been very controversial.
"You take an actor, a romantic actor, or years ago you take a leading man romantic singer that has fan clubs of females all over the world one way or another ... it's terribly detrimental to their career. That's why you do have a number of people scared to death that their careers could be so adversely affected."
Although Clive was impressed that Frank wasn’t concerned with how the revelation would impact his career, he was particularly moved by the positive reaction.
The iconic octogenarian music producer was struck by how the world has grown to be more accepting of others.
"Nobody should be fooled, but I think that that the signs are good of tolerance, of humanity, of understanding, but one really has to be vigilant here,” Clive said.
"It's a real issue and someone like Frank Ocean, just beginning [his career] to be candid and to see the hip-hop community embrace it and understand it. That was very, very powerfully positive."
