Clarence Avant's political power: The 'Black Godfather' had the ear of three presidents

As Clarence Avant headed into the hills north of Sunset Boulevard one night in the 1970s, a Beverly Hills police officer pulled him over for speeding.

Avant told the officer he was headed to his home in Trousdale Estates. The officer was dubious. The Beverly Hills neighborhood, one of the most exclusive in the country, was almost entirely white. Avant was Black.

"Look, I gotta hurry up," Avant said. "Jimmy Carter is coming to my house."

Now even more skeptical, the police officer said he would follow Avant home and write him a ticket — or maybe a few — once they got there. When the officer arrived and, stunned, saw the cul-de-sac swarming with Secret Service agents, he let Avant off the hook.

The story, recounted by two of Avant's close friends, showed how a man known mostly as a barrier-breaking music executive also moved in some of the country's most powerful political circles.

Avant's death spurred an from celebrities as varied as musician and designer Pharrell Williams, NBA legend Magic Johnson and record producer Clive Davis.