On May 24, one of the real Milli Vanilli singers, John Davis, died at age 66 of COVID-19.
In a Facebook post, the artist’s daughter commented, “My dad passed away this evening through the coronavirus. He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.”
According to Variety, Davis was born in South Carolina then moved to Germany, where he provided some of the vocals for Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, the frontmen for the duo Milli Vanilli.
Morvan tweeted, “R.I.P brother @johndavisrmv Can’t believe it, thanks for all the love you’ve spread throughout the years, from the edge of the stage. You and I had a great run. It was fun to celebrate life with the help of music. Peace, one love.
“Your voice will live on. Play it, loud everybody.”
R.I.P BROTHER @JohnDavisRMV
CAN’T BELIEVE IT, THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE YOU’VE SPREAD THROUGH OUT THE YEARS, FROM THE EDGE OF THE STAGE. YOU AND I HAD A GREAT RUN, IT WAS FUN TO CELEBRATE LIFE WITH THE HELP OF MUSIC. PEACE ONE LOVE
YOUR VOICE WILL LIVE ON. PLAY IT LOUD EVERYBODY. pic.twitter.com/tlvSEiYoS4— Fab Morvan (@fabmorvan) May 24, 2021
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The group eventually became the face of a lip-synching scandal that finally cost them the Grammy that they won in 1990.
The incident occurred because Davis and others, credited as backing singers, were the actual singers. This led to the scandal, and eventually, Milli Vanilli had to return their Grammy.
It’s a sad day….. RIP John. We wouldn’t be who we are without you….. 🙏 https://t.co/RihUnDjPdL
— Milli Vanilli (@MilliVanilli) May 25, 2021
“It’s a sad day….. RIP John. We wouldn’t be who we are without you,” tweeted the Milli Vanilli Twitter handle.