Madonna adds, then awkwardly removes, Luther Vandross from the AIDS memorial part of her show

Madonna’s Celebration tour continues to wind its way across the US. However, fans have noted a minor tweak to the show. The alteration has also been picked up by the estate of the late singer, Luther Vandross.

In one part of the show, when Madonna sings “Live To Tell”, projections display images of people lost to HIV. Many are people Madonna herself knew, such as the artist Keith Haring.

The segment has been widely praised as one of the most moving parts of the concert. Even Elton John, who has had a long-running feud with Madonna, took to social media to praise it.

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On Sunday, a Madonna fan who has been following the tour across the US said he was overjoyed that a photo of a friend of his had been added to the segment in Sacramento on Saturday night.

”Last night was very special,” wrote Kevin James Smith. “This is also an appreciation post. Some of you probably saw my post from the second night in Seattle of the #madonnacelebrationtour where I held up my friend Tommy’s photo to pay tribute to his life during @Madonna‘s performance of #livetotell, a tribute to those who died from AIDS.

“Well, thanks to @Madonna, @theaidsmemorial and members of #Madonna’s team (I ❤️ you Sasha Kasiuha @kasiuha), Tommy was added to the memory wall last night at the @golden1center in Sacramento. I can’t thank you enough for this. Tommy, you are remembered ❤️💔❤️

Smith added a video and said, “Once multiple photos start to pop up, Tommy is the first upper right hand corner photo.”

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A post shared by THE AIDS MEMORIAL (@theaidsmemorial)

Luther Vandross estate respond

It’s great to see Madonna responding to a fan in this way. However, others spotted something else on Saturday night. An image of Luther Vandross was also added to the segment.

Luther Vandross died in 2005 at the age of 54. He found fame with his solo material in the early 1980s. He rarely talked about his private life but it was widely known within the industry that he was gay. To be out in the 80s would have likely killed his career.

On Saturday, the estate of Luther Vandross said they had asked representatives for Madonna to remove his image.

“Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier,” a rep for his estate told Page Six in a statement.

“While we appreciate Madonna’s recognition of those lives lost to AIDS, Luther was NEVER diagnosed with AIDS or the HIV Virus,” they added.

“We’re not sure where she or her production team received false medical information claiming otherwise. We’re currently in contact with her management to remove Luther Vandross from the tribute.”

Photo removed from memorial

The first person to flag up the inclusion of Vandross, who appears alongside a photo of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, was Encyclopedia Madonnica author and editor, Matthew Rettenmund.

In an Instagram post, he wrote, “An interesting development at Madonna’s Sacramento ‘Celebration Tour’ show Saturday night.

“Kevin (skymax.music.travel.style) was able to get his late friend Tommy added to the ‘Live to Tell’ AIDS Memorial wall, which is so wonderful. But sharp-eyed observers also noticed Luther Vandross was suddenly added.

“Though gay (and closeted to the end), and though Vandross was rumored to have lost weight due to AIDS-related illness, his 2005 death has never been attributed to AIDS complications.

“Not sure why he was added belatedly, but it is an interesting choice. I know a LOT of closeted men attempted to hide their diagnoses even in death (Robert Reed tried, but his death certificate noted AIDS; Liberace — who isn’t on the ‘Live to Tell’ wall — asserted he’d lost weight on a watermelon diet.).”

According to Page Six, representatives for Madonna say the image of Vandross has been removed. Queerty has reached out to Madonna’s reps for further comment.

Let’s take a moment to remember the late, great Luther Vandross. Check out the video for his 1981 breakthrough hit, “Never Too Much”, below.

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