Music Madonna removes Luther Vandross from AIDS tribute at behest of his estate Vandross' representatives clarified that he died from complications related to a stroke By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines and Lauren Huff Lauren Huff Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 26, 2024 09:53PM EST Madonna is correcting a mistake. According to Madonna's representatives, the singer has removed a photo of Luther Vandross from a portion of her Celebration tour at the request of his estate. During her tour, the singer has paid tribute to famous stars who have died of AIDS with a touching photo montage set to her performance of "Live to Tell." According to Page Six, who first reported the news, Luther Vandross’ image was suddenly included on Saturday during this montage at a tour stop in Sacramento, Calif, which apparently came as a surprise to the late singer-songwriter's estate. Harry Langdon/Getty; Ilya S. Savenok/Getty “Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier,” a rep for his estate told the outlet. Their statement continued, "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." Vandross' estate said it contacted Madonna's management to get the image removed, and her reps have confirmed to EW that it has since been taken out. An EW request for comment from Vandross' estate was not immediately returned on Monday. Madonna's Celebration tour launched in October 2023, and features a setlist that spans more than four decades and serves as a showcase of the superstar's career. The tour continues now through April 26. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Lionel Richie regrets not asking Madonna to sing with Cyndi Lauper on 'We Are the World' Madonna falls on stage after dancer trips during chair stunt Madonna responds to lawsuit over late concert, will 'vigorously' defend herself