Ari Gold (musician)
Ari Gold (February 11, 1974 – February 14, 2021) was an American pop singer and songwriter. He was openly gay and regularly addressed both his being Jewish and gay and also 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, New York City, in an Orthodox Jewish 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, provided various voices for Cabbage Patch Kids and cult favorite "Jem" providing 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. After graduating from the Ramaz School in Manhattan, Gold studied at Yale University. He then transferred and received his BA from New York University. Musical career. 1996–2002. Gold took full advantage of his surroundings in New York City and began performing original music at Joe's Pub, Fez, China Club, Barracuda, Metronome, Avalon, Pyramid, Splash, Bar d'O, Starlight, and CBGB's. He recorded the material for his self-titled 2001 debut album. His debut included explicit gay love songs. 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. 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 DJ Luck and MC Neat. 2003–2005: "Space Under Sun". In 2003, Grammy award-winning producer David Morales 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" dance  hit and was featured on "Queer As Folk". 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 Outvoice Charts. "The Advocate" 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, 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. In 2005, "Space Under Sun" took home the Outmusic Award for Outstanding New Recording. On the Space Under Sun World Tour, Gold opened for RuPaul and Chaka Khan and headlined clubs and festivals in Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, 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 Advocate". 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, Rock America, 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 Photobook". 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, 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 on both his debut "Box of Chocolates" and the Tony Moran-produced "Entity". He also worked with Diane Warren and Stephen Bray on 1980s teenscream Tommy Page's last album. Gold's music has been licensed to numerous independent films, including "Boy Culture", "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, 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 "DN"A magazine. After interviewing and photographing Gold for "AXM" magazine, Boy George chose  him to be the spokesmodel for his clothing line RUDE. Illness and death. Gold died from leukemia on February 14, 2021, three days after his 47th birthday. RuPaul, whom Gold had described as a mentor, was among those to express condolences on social media.