By Steve Gorman
(Reuters)
LOS ANGELES -- Ray Charles, who overcame poverty, blindness and heroin addiction to create soul music and become one of America's most beloved entertainers, died on Thursday at the age of 73 after a long fight with liver disease, his spokesman said.
Charles, hailed as "The Father of Soul" and best known for such hits as "Georgia On My Mind" and "Hit the Road Jack," died at 11:35 a.m. PDT (2:35 p.m. EDT) at his Beverly Hills home, surrounded by family, friends and business associates, according to the singer's longtime publicist Jerry Digney.
The legendary entertainer made his last public appearance on April 30, turning up in a motorized wheelchair for a ceremony dedicating his longtime recording studio in Los Angeles as an historic landmark.
Visibly frail, his voice reduced to a whisper, Charles' demeanor then was a far cry from the wildly enthusiastic performer known to millions of fans for more than half a century.
Charles' biographer, David Ritz, said the singer-songwriter had been unable to speak for the past two to three weeks.
Charles was forced to cut short a North American tour last summer due to hip pain, marking the first series of concerts he had missed in more than 50 years. He later underwent hip replacement surgery.
But other ailments were diagnosed, and unspecified complications forced him to scrap plans to resume touring with a performance in New York last month.
Blind since the age of 6 from glaucoma, Charles collected 13 Grammy Awards during his career, including a lifetime achievement honor in 1987. He played his 10,000th concert last May at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and in 2002 celebrated the 40th anniversary of his first hit on the country music charts, "I Can't Stop Loving You."
But Charles made his biggest mark in the 1950s by blending the spirituality of gospel music he learned in the black churches of his childhood with the sensuality of the blues to create an emotionally raw new genre called soul.
Soul helped pave the way for such performers as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke and the birth of rock 'n' roll.
Charles released his latest album, "Thanks for Bringing Love Around," in 2002, including a new version of "What'd I Say," a song he originally released in 1959 that became one of his first hits.
Other notable recordings include the ballad "Georgia On My Mind," which became the official state song of Charles' home state, as well as "Hit the Road Jack," "Yes, Indeed," "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "I Got a Woman," popularly credited as the first true soul record.
While best known for his contributions to soul music, Charles achieved success with pop standards, jazz tunes and country music.
Even with his health problems, Charles had been busy working on a CD of duets, titled "Genius Loves Company," with such performers as Elton John, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Diana Krall, Johnny Mathis and Willie Nelson. It was slated for release at the end of summer.
Charles had at least nine children with five different women. His 20-year marriage to Della, one of his original Raelettes, ended in divorce in 1977.
(Reuters)
LOS ANGELES -- Ray Charles, who overcame poverty, blindness and heroin addiction to create soul music and become one of America's most beloved entertainers, died on Thursday at the age of 73 after a long fight with liver disease, his spokesman said.
Charles, hailed as "The Father of Soul" and best known for such hits as "Georgia On My Mind" and "Hit the Road Jack," died at 11:35 a.m. PDT (2:35 p.m. EDT) at his Beverly Hills home, surrounded by family, friends and business associates, according to the singer's longtime publicist Jerry Digney.
The legendary entertainer made his last public appearance on April 30, turning up in a motorized wheelchair for a ceremony dedicating his longtime recording studio in Los Angeles as an historic landmark.
Visibly frail, his voice reduced to a whisper, Charles' demeanor then was a far cry from the wildly enthusiastic performer known to millions of fans for more than half a century.
Charles' biographer, David Ritz, said the singer-songwriter had been unable to speak for the past two to three weeks.
Charles was forced to cut short a North American tour last summer due to hip pain, marking the first series of concerts he had missed in more than 50 years. He later underwent hip replacement surgery.
But other ailments were diagnosed, and unspecified complications forced him to scrap plans to resume touring with a performance in New York last month.
Blind since the age of 6 from glaucoma, Charles collected 13 Grammy Awards during his career, including a lifetime achievement honor in 1987. He played his 10,000th concert last May at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and in 2002 celebrated the 40th anniversary of his first hit on the country music charts, "I Can't Stop Loving You."
But Charles made his biggest mark in the 1950s by blending the spirituality of gospel music he learned in the black churches of his childhood with the sensuality of the blues to create an emotionally raw new genre called soul.
Soul helped pave the way for such performers as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke and the birth of rock 'n' roll.
Charles released his latest album, "Thanks for Bringing Love Around," in 2002, including a new version of "What'd I Say," a song he originally released in 1959 that became one of his first hits.
Other notable recordings include the ballad "Georgia On My Mind," which became the official state song of Charles' home state, as well as "Hit the Road Jack," "Yes, Indeed," "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "I Got a Woman," popularly credited as the first true soul record.
While best known for his contributions to soul music, Charles achieved success with pop standards, jazz tunes and country music.
Even with his health problems, Charles had been busy working on a CD of duets, titled "Genius Loves Company," with such performers as Elton John, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Diana Krall, Johnny Mathis and Willie Nelson. It was slated for release at the end of summer.
Charles had at least nine children with five different women. His 20-year marriage to Della, one of his original Raelettes, ended in divorce in 1977.
