Brown's work with George Benson, Boney James, Patti Austin and the late Luther Vandross, among others, has earned him two Grammys and dozens of number-one hits.

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He had uncanny instincts and made an art out of the "Duets" concept, pairing Sinatra with U2 frontman Bono, Luther Vandross and other younger artists, Bennett with McCartney and Barbra Streisand, and Charles with Bonnie Raitt and Van Morrison.

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When the singer Luther Vandross was charged with manslaughter after his best friend died in a car accident with Vandross driving, L. Peter Parcher, "lawyer to the stars, " devised a slick defense: An olive tree had dropped its slippery nuggets precisely where the crash occurred on Hollywood's Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

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