Ari Gold (February 11, 1974 – February 14, 2021) was an American pop singer and songwriter. He was openly gay,Event: 'Ari Gold – Untitled: The Making of a Gay Pop Star' @ Laboratory Theater
HotFestival.org. and regularly addressed being both

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and gay. He starred in an autobiographical theater production ''Ari Gold– Untitled: The Making of a Gay Pop Star''.

Early life

Gold was born and raised in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, in an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

family. He was discovered while singing at his brother Steven's bar mitzvah at the age of five. He was awarded top prize alongside Steven and his other brother, future comedian Elon, at the First Annual Jewish Children's Song Festival. Gold landed his first job as a professional singer and actor by performing the lead role on the CBS Children's recording ''Pot Belly Bear: Song and Stories''. The album went platinum, and led to his successful career as a child vocalist. He sang over 400 jingles, and provided various voices for

Cabbage Patch Kids Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage ...

and

cult favorite A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in ...

'' Jem.'' He also provided vocals for the song "A Father Should Be..." by Starlight Girl Ba Nee, which appeared in the episodes ''The Jem Jam Part 1,'' and the final episode ''A Father Should Be...''. He also performed back-up vocals for

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

and Cyndi Lauper. After graduating from the Ramaz School in Manhattan, Gold studied at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. He then transferred to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, where he would receive his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Musical career

1996–2002

Gold began performing original music at Joe's Pub, Fez, China Club, Barracuda, Metronome, Avalon, Pyramid Club, Splash, Bar d'O, Starlight, and

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

's. He recorded the material for his self-titled 2001 debut album, ''Ari Gold'', in which Gold uses male pronouns, and shows men being affectionate with one another in his music videos. The album won gold at the 2002 Outmusic Award for Outstanding Debut Recording. Later that year, Gold was named one of ''Genre Magazine'''s "Men We Love". His debut also caught the attention of songwriter

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...

. Their first collaboration "I'm All About You" ( Island Universal) was on the Top 20 UK singles charts, and a Top 10 dance hit. The song was co-written and produced with

UK garage musicians The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

DJ Luck & MC Neat DJ Luck & MC Neat are a British musical duo, composed of Joel Samuels (a.k.a. DJ Luck) and Michael Rose (a.k.a. MC Neat) mainly performing a combination of house music and UK garage. They had three consecutive top 10 hits in the United Kingd ...

2003–2005: ''Space Under Sun''

In 2003, Grammy award-winning producer

David Morales David Morales (; born August 21, 1962) is an American disc jockey (DJ) and record producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is also a remixer. David Morales has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including Ma ...

remixed "I'll Be Here", which Ari co-wrote with Automagic for Nashom of The Ones ("Flawless") solo project. The song became a Top-10 ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' dance hit, and was featured on ''

Queer As Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of the UK series ** ''Queer as Folk'' soundtracks, soundtrack albums from ...

''. In 2003, Gold began recording his second album. In January 2004, Gold's second album '' Space Under Sun'' was released on his label GOLD18 Records. It debuted at No. 1 on the Out-voice Charts. ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

'' wrote that his "equal parts of sly, finger-snappin' sass and earthy R&B finesse," created the "crisp...sound of a platinum-selling recording." The video single "Wave of You" debuted as a DVD extra, and became a mainstay during the launch of Logo TV, included in its list for the best videos of 2005. '' MetroSource'' magazine also named Ari "One of the 25 People That Make Us Proud". Gold's appearance in the VH1 special ''My Coolest Years: In the Closet'' solidified Gold's status as an emerging

gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community. The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...

. In 2005, ''Space Under Sun'' took home the Out music Award for Outstanding New Recording. On the Space Under Sun World Tour, Gold opened for

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...

and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

, and headlined clubs and festivals in Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Czech Republic). He also toured Canada, and in over 25 cities across the US, including the world's largest stage at the Reno Hilton.

2005: ''The Remixes''

In September 2005, Gold released his first remix album, ''The Remixes''. The album was named the No. 2 Best Independent Release of 2005, according to national magazine ''

''. The first single, "Love Will Take Over" became a ''Billboard'' Dance Chart hit. The "Love Will Take Over" video has been played on

HBO Zone Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...

, Rock America, and For Promo Only, and claimed the top spot for two weeks in a row on MTV's Logo. In December 2005, Gold released ''Ari Gold: The Photo-book''.

2006–2008: ''Transport Systems''

In 2006, Gold began recording his album in Los Angeles and New York City where he began working with Steve Skinner and Grammy Award-winning producer Joe Hogue on the album. In 2007, Gold released his third studio album, ''Transport Systems''. Gold debuted on the ''Billboard'' Top 10 charts for the first time, six months after winning the prestigious 13th Annual USA Songwriting Competition for "Where The Music Takes You", where he won the Overall Grand Prize. The album features special guests

Adam Joseph Adam Joseph (born Adam Joseph Hodges; January 10, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, and music producer. Joseph has released two albums and 16 singles during his career. He is also the president of his own recording label, Jah Records. Jos ...

, Mr. Man, Sasha Allen and Dave Koz. LGBT-focused magazine ''Pink'' wrote his lyrics lingered on "gender, sexuality, addiction and race." In early 2008, the song "Love Wasn't Built in a Day" won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best R&B Song.

2010–2013: ''Between the Spirit and the Flesh''

In 2010, Gold returned to the studio to begin the recording sessions for his fourth studio album. In October 2010, Gold released the lead single "Make My Body Rock". In May 2011, Gold released his fourth album ''Between the Spirit & the Flesh'' under the name Sir Ari. In mid-2011, Gold released the second single "Sparkle". In February 2012, Gold released "My Favorite Religion" as the third single. In 2013, Gold released his second remix album ''Play My F**k Remix''.

2015–2021: ''Soundtrack to Freedom''

In July 2015, Gold released his single "Sex Like a Pornstar". In August 2015, Gold released his fifth studio album, ''Soundtrack to Freedom'', under the name GoldNation.

Other ventures

Songwriting

Gold has written songs for #1 Billboard dance recording artist

Kevin Aviance Kevin Aviance (born Eric Snead on June 22, 1968) is an American drag queen, club/dance musician, fashion designer and nightclub personality. He is a personality in New York City's gay scene and has performed throughout North America, Europe and ...

on both his debut ''Box of Chocolates'' and the

Tony Moran Anthony "Tony" Moran is a DJ, record producer, remixer, singer and songwriter known for remixing popular songs. In 2007, he hit number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart twice with " Walk Away" featuring Kristine W and "Kee ...

-produced ''Entity''. He also worked with

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...

and

Stephen Bray Stephen Pate Bray (born December 23, 1956) is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations with Madonna, being a member of the band Breakfast Club, and for winning the 2017 Grammy Award for the ...

on 1980s teenscream Tommy Page's last album, ''Ten til Midnight'', in which Page covered Gold's first written song, Dance To the Beat of My Heart. Gold's music has been licensed to numerous independent films, including ''

Boy Culture ''Boy Culture'' is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Q. Allan Brocka, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Matthew Rettenmund. The film stars Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens, Patrick Bauchau, Jonathon Trent, and Emily Brooke ...

'', '' Shortbus'', and ''Latin Boys Go to Hell'', for which he served as the music supervisor, and appeared in the film performing his song "See Through Me". He also served as music supervisor on the documentary ''Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema''.

Modeling career

Gold appeared in fashion magazines such as '' W'' and '' VIBE'', for which he was photographed by

Walter Chin Walter Chin is a fashion and celebrity photographer of Chinese descent who currently lives and works in New York City, U.S. Career Walter Chin was born in Jamaica to a Chinese family, and grew up there and in Canada, where he served an apprenti ...

, and chosen as one of the Stylistics in the January 2002 issue. He was named one of "The 9 Hottest Men in NYC" by ''H/X'' magazine, and one of the Hottest Men in the World by ''DNA'' magazine. After interviewing and photographing Gold for ''

AXM ''AXM'' was a British lifestyle digital magazine aimed at young gay and bisexual men. The magazine ceased publication of printed magazines after December 2008 due to financial downturn. It was subsequently converted to an online-only format, ...

'' magazine,

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

chose him to be the spokesmodel for his clothing line RUDE.

Illness and death

Gold died from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

on February 14, 2021, three days after his 47th birthday.

, whom Gold had described as a mentor, was among those to express condolences on social media.

Discography

;Albums * 2001: '' Ari Gold'' * 2004: '' Space Under Sun'' * 2005: '' The Remixes'' * 2007: ''

Transport Systems Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land ...

'' * 2011: '' Between the Spirit & the Flesh'' * 2013: ''Play My F**kn Remix'' * 2015: ''Soundtrack to Freedom'' ;Singles * 2001: See Through Me * 2004: Wave of You * 2004: He's on My Team (featuring Kendra Ross) * 2005: Love Will Take Over (JKriv's Love Lounge Radio Mix) * 2007: Where the Music Takes You (featuring Sasha Allen) * 2007: Love Wasn't Built in a Day (featuring Dave Koz) * 2008: Human (featuring Mr. Man) * 2009: I Can Forgive You * 2010: Mr. Mistress * 2010: Make My Body Rock * 2011: Sparkle (featuring Sarah Dash) * 2012: My Favourite Religion * 2013: Play My F**Z Record * 2013: Love Goddess (Remix) * 2015: Sex Like a Pornstar * 2016: Turn Out the Night * 2017: Make Music

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gold, Ari 1974 births 2021 deaths 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers American Orthodox Jews American contemporary R&B singers American male pop singers Place of death missing American male singer-songwriters Deaths from leukemia American gay musicians Independent Music Awards winners Jewish American musicians Jewish singers LGBT Orthodox Jews American LGBT singers LGBT songwriters Musicians from the Bronx Ramaz School alumni 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century American Jews Singer-songwriters from New York (state)