David Foster is also a critically acclaimed music producer as a songwriter and music composer he has written more than 800 commercially sold songs sung by world famous pop stars and singers of various genres, earning him the nickname The Assassin . He was awarded a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2002 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. The musician reinvented himself in his late 60’s by taking up composition and arrangement for Broadway musicals.

Born name

David Walter Foster

nickname

The assassin

Sun sign

Scorpio

Place of birth

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Residence

He divides his time between –

• Los Angeles, California, United States
• Manhattan, NYC, USA

nationality

training

• As a child, David neither liked regular school nor was he a good student. He discovered his calling at the age of 4 when he started taking piano lessons.
• He attended Mount Douglas Secondary School in Saanich which is part of the Greater Victoria School District .
• At the age of 13 he enrolled in a music program at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA
• Two years later, in 1965, David studied the nuances of jazz music, recording, production and the business aspect of the music industry under the tutelage of renowned jazz singer and pianist Tommy Banks in Edmonton, Canada.
• That same year he turned 16 and decided to drop out of school and moved to England to work in the music field.

occupation

Musician, Composer, Songwriter, Arranger, Performer, Music Executive, Record Producer

family

• Father – Maurice Perry Foster a.k.a. Morry (Maintenance Yard Superintendent)
• Mother – Eleanor May Foster née Vantreight (Housewife)
• Siblings – David is the only son among the 7 children and grew up with 6 sisters. The names of 5 of them are Ruth, Maureen, Jeanie, Marylou and Jaymes.
• Others – Walter Milligan Foster (paternal grandfather), Alice Amelia Callard (paternal grandmother), Sidney Edwin Vantreight (maternal grandfather), Jean Stalker McEachran (maternal grandmother)

Manager

Mark T. Johnson, Align Talent Management, NYC

Genre

Pop, Pop Rock, Klassik, Gospel, R & B

instruments

Piano, keyboards, vocals, french horn, synthesizer

labels

Atlantic, 143, Reprise, Verve, Syco Musik, Columbia Records, Universal Music, Polygram International, Sound Design Records

To build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 10 inches or 178 cm

weight

70 kg or 154 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

David Foster dated –

1. By the time David was 20, he had a daughter, Allison Jones Foster (born 1970), with an unidentified woman. He gave her up for adoption but reconnected with her after 3 decades.
2. Bonnie Jean Cook aka BJ (1971-1978) – BJ met David while studying jazz in Alberta with Tommy Banks and was in touch with him because they shared the same hometown as Victoria. She was 7 years older than David and already a seasoned singer who knew a lot more about the music business than he did. When she found out that Foster was forming a band with Ronnie Hawkins in Edmonton, Bonnie asked to audition for the band too and was soon accepted by all members.
   However, creative differences between David and Ronnie developed, which escalated to David being fired from the band. At this point, BJ and David were a couple, so BJ also left the band. She was primarily responsible for putting together Skylarkand reached out to an LA-based producer to get the band signed to Capitol Records.
   Although members of Skylark moved to LA and even got a one hit miracle, they broke up after 3 years. Meanwhile, BJ and David married and had a daughter named Amy Skylark Foster (born 1973), who has grown into a successful songwriter in her own right.
   David became a freelance studio musician after the band broke up and wanted BJ to become a full-time housewife to help raise their daughter. With Bonnie having musical ambitions of her own, differences arose between the two, although BJ continued to support David’s career.
   She was 40 when the couple officially divorced in 1981. Three years before her divorce, Bonnie returned to Toronto with her daughter to pursue freelance songwriting.
   David legally gave Bonnie the rights to some of his B-listed songs, which they co-wrote with the 1978 disco hit Must Be Real , which has been used in several national commercialsThe US The song’s royalties have increased significantly over the years Amount developed, but David only gave BJ access to that money years later after his anger over the breakup wore off.
   A few years passed before David and Bonnie reestablished their camaraderie and BJ began scouting for new talent for David.

3. Rebecca L. McCurday et al. Rebecca Dyer (1981-1986) – David met Rebecca at a friend’s house shortly after a three-month split from BJ in 1978. Rebecca was working as a flight attendant for American Airlines at the time and was residing in the east coast of New York City. She asked David to reach out to her if he ever visited that place.
   David got a job in NYC the following month and got in touch with Rebecca straight away. The couple started dating and Rebecca returned with David to his LA home formerly occupied by BJ Cook. Since David and BJ weren’t officially divorced at the time, it created a misunderstanding bad enough for BJ to have an argument with Rebecca.
   David married former model Rebecca in 1982, and they have three daughters – Sara Foster (born February 1981), Erin Foster (born August 1982), and Jordan Foster (born 1986). The couple divorced in 1986.

4. Linda Thompson (1987-2005) – After dabbling in acting and reality shows, he was formerly Miss Tennessee 1972. In 1985 she became a lyricist/songwriter. She divorced Bruce Jenner (now known as Caitlyn Jenner) when David split from his second wife, Rebecca.
   Linda and David initiated a pro While the couple had no children together, David was the primary father figure to Linda’s birth sons with Bruce named Brody and Brandon.
   A 6 episode reality show, The Malibu princesStarring Linda, David, Brody and Brandon, however, the series was canceled by Fox Network after two episodes when Linda filed for divorce from David the next day after the series premiere. The show planted the idea for Keeping Up with the Kardashians in Kris Jenner’s head.
   Linda shared in her memoir that David’s troubled husband, who wasn’t sure she had been with Elvis Presley for four years before, wanted her to put aside her professional life to become a full-time housewife.

5. Yolanda Hadid (2006-2015) – David was introduced to Dutch model and interior designer Yolanda Hadid by his close friend and Yolanda’s ex-husband Mohamed Hadid after David saw several pictures of Yolanda at Hadid’s residence.
   After dating for around 5 years, the couple got engaged on Christmas Eve 2010 during a dinner party at Mohamed Hadid’s house. The couple had a lavish, star-studded 11/11/11 wedding ceremony. Not only did they wed on November 11, 2011, but they also had 11-year-old Jackie Evancho perform a song before cutting their wedding cake at 11:11 p.m.
   News of their divorce broke in December 2015 during Yolanda’s public battle with Lyme disease. There was widespread speculation that Yolanda’s condition was not allowing her to give David the attention he needed in a relationship that led to the downfall of their marriage.

6. Selma Blair (2016) – David and actress Selma Blair were spotted having a dinner in March 2016.
7. Christie Brinkley (2017) – David and ex-model Christie BrinkleyThe paparazzi speculated about a possible romance because David preferred dating blonde models. However, Page Six reported that the two were pretty good friends who kept in touch on an infrequent basis.
8. Elizabeth Hurley (2017) – In July 2017, David and actress Liz Hurley were snapped up at an Italian airport while vacationing together on a luxury yacht in Sardinia.
9. Katharine McPhee (2017-Present) – David first met Katharine in 2006 when he appeared as a mentor in Season 5 of American Idol where McPhee was one of the contestants. David produced Katharina’s first single when she was 21 and the two maintained a friendly business relationship for a decade before they were spotted on a dinner date in May 2017.
   Both denied their relationship until The Met Gala took place in May 2018, where they made their first appearance as a couple, followed by official engagement news in June 2018 amid widespread online criticism of their age difference. David is 35 years older than Kat.

race/ethnicity

White

He is of English, Scottish and Irish descent.

hair colour

dark brown

His hair has turned gray with age.

eye color

Blau

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• Thick hair
• widow peak
• Big ears
• pointed nose

brand promotion

He signed as Global Grand Brand Ambassador for AirAsia in 2015.

Religion

He has often expressed his admiration for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir , a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has collaborated with them to create religious music.

Known for

• After producing for some of the biggest names in music include Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Robbe, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Bryan Adams and Michael Bublé
• Received 16 Grammy Awards between 1980 and 2011

First album

David Foster released his first studio album, The Best of Me in 1984 through Sound Design Records.

He released his first compilation album, A Touch of David Foster in 1992 through Atlantic Records.

His first live album, Hit Man: David Foster and Friends, was released in 2008.

first movie

He made his big screen debut in the stoner comedy film, In Smoke in 1978.

First TV show

David Foster made his first TV show appearance on the talk show series, The Paul Ryan Show in 1977.

Personal trainer

• David occasionally lifts weights at the gym when his busy travel and work schedule allows. In 2016, he also posted a fitness selfie while traveling in Russia.
• However, in his age, the musician has become a more dedicated yoga practitioner and previously shared his surprise at being a consistent follower of the discipline.
• He trains under the supervision of LA-based former elite track and field athlete-turned-yoga teacher Tiffany Russo.
• After David learned the basic movements of yoga, it took him about two years of regular practice to do a handstand without the help of a wall.
• Although David was a moderate drinker his whole life and preferred wine to other alcohols, he decided to give up alcohol in the late 1960s. He also never resorted to smoking in his life.

David Foster favorite things

• Phrase – If you have something to get done, give it to a busy person
• Health Mantra – Moderation is key
• Recording / Disc – The Beatles “Number One
• Esteemed Honor – His first Grammy for After Love Is Gone
• TV Show – America’s Got Talent
• Malibu Restaurants – Nobu, Taverna Tony, Tra di Noi, the Mission Inn, the Malibu Beach Inn , The Farmhouse at the end of Malibu Pier
• Artist He Produced – Alice Cooper
• Song – The Prayer
• Singer – Andrea Bocelli

David Foster facts

1. His first source of inspiration at the age of 4 was from his father, who was a very experienced amateur pianist. Although David’s parents were poor, they were able to save a dollar a week for his piano lessons.
2. When he turned 16, he decided to drop out of school and moved to England, where he got a job playing the piano in American rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry’s tour backup band.
3. After a year he moved to Toronto and played alongside rock ‘n’ roll musicians like Ronnie Hawkins.
4. Ronnie Hawkins’ backup group formed a pop band called Feldlerche in 1971. David joined Feldlerche as a full-time keyboard player. An American record owner saw the band perform in Vancouver, Canada and brought them to Los Angeles, where they signed with Capitol Records. David was 22 years old at the time. When the band broke up after 3 years, David decided to stay back in LA to try his luck in the American music industry.
5. David’s father suffered a heart attack in 1968 before his music career took off.
6. Foster becomes easily claustrophobic and afraid of elevators.
7. Coming from a working-class family, David has always been good at saving and managing money. This allowed him to be the only one among his peers to buy a brand new 1968 Dodge Super Bee , his first car, at the age of 17.
8. David initially aspired to be a jazz musician until he attended a concert by his idol, Bill Evans. Only 10 people were present, which made it clear to David that he would never make any money as a jazz artist.
9. Had he not been a musician, David would have become an airline pilot or airline broker. Foster has claimed to be obsessed with airplanes and said he reads about them before he goes to bed every night.
10. After winning his first Grammy in 1979, David had to wait in line at a payphone to call his mother in Canada to tell her of his win.
11. Networking is the most important key to success. He believes that all the talent in the world will not find a man unless there is a full awareness of his abilities.
12. After losing a bet to his former stepsons Brandon and Brody, David had to get a “D” tattooed on his wrist. He jokingly stated that the alphabet stands for his first name and NOT for divorce.
13. When Celine Dion was asked to record the iconic Titanic song, my heart will go on David advised her against it.
14. He appeared as a judge on Asia’s Got Talent in 2015 and 2017.
15. Foster founded the David Foster Foundation in 1986 and since then he has used his talent to raise money for more than 400 charities.
16. David composed the theme song for the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1996 Summer Olympics.
17. To find out more about the veteran musician, visit his official website @ davidfoster.com.
18. Follow David Foster on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.