Betty Davis, funk pioneer who invented fusion, dies at 77

Betty Davis, the influential funk and soul singer known as 'the woman who invented fusion,' has died at age 77. According to Rolling Stone, her death was due to natural causes. Born Betty Mabry in 1945 in Durham, North Carolina, she spent her childhood between Durham and Pittsburgh, moving to New York at 16 to study design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She worked as a model, appearing on covers of Seventeen, Ebony, and Glamour, and befriended musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Her music career began in 1964, and she became a fixture in the New York scene. In 1967 she met Miles Davis, marrying him in 1968; the marriage lasted only a year, but Miles credited her with introducing him to Hendrix and Stone, influencing his musical direction. Her first single was 'Get Ready for Betty,' and her debut album 'Betty Davis' came out in 1973, followed by 'They Say I'm Different' (1974) and 'Nasty Gal' (1975). She then withdrew from music and faded from public view until a 2017 documentary, 'Betty: They Say I'm Different,' and a 2019 single 'A Little Bit Hot Tonight' with Daniella Maggio.