Luther Vandross’ Niece Has Something to Say About His Heartbreaking Post-Stroke Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Though it’s been nearly 20 years since the death of beloved singer and musical legend Luther Vandross, his life and legacy is about to be centerstage once more thanks to an upcoming documentary: Luther: Never Too Much.

But before the fans take a trip down memory lane, Vandross’ niece Seveda Williams sharing her feelings about a particular memory involving her uncle and Oprah Winfrey. Speaking to People about the “Bad Boy” singer’s 2004 interview with the famed TV host after suffering a stroke a year prior, Williams shared how she wasn’t all the way sold with having him appear on the show at the time, but that her grandmother was thw one who convinced her otherwise.

“He did an Oprah interview, which I wasn’t completely on board with, but my grandmother thought that it would help other stroke victims to see that,” Williams explained. Expounding on why Vandross also consented to appearing on the show, she aded: “He just wanted people to know that taking good care of your health is extremely important and that having diabetes is not a joke and having a stroke from it is not either.”

Reflecting on the “Here and Now” hosts last days, Williams revealed that he was still actively singing despite the status of health.

“During that time that he was ill, there was always constant singing going on, not just between he and I, but all of his friends were coming around. There were rehearsals — [doing] that was kind of a therapy session all the time — having the singers around and just acting like they were preparing for a tour. He was all into that,” she said.

Weaving together the story of Vandross’ rise to fame — starting from his humble beginnings singing on “Sesame Street” and singing background for David Bowie and Roberta Flack to his successful solo career—Luther: Never Too Much was recently picked up by CNN Films and OWN back in May. It’s set to debut on CNN, OWN and Max some time in 2025.