Jurv
21-01-2012, 12:41 AM
US soul singer Etta James, best known for the tracks At Last and for I'd Rather Go Blind, has died aged 73.
It was announced last year that the singer had been diagnosed with leukaemia and was undergoing treatment.
The star began singing in a group aged 14, before she embarked upon a solo career where she signed to the legendary Chess Records label.
She went on to win six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Legendary producer Jerry Wexler once called her "the greatest of all modern blues singers".
The singer died from complications of leukaemia
James' manager said she died at Riverside Community Hospital in California with her husband and sons at her side.
"It's a tremendous loss for her fans around the world," Lupe De Leon said. "She'll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category."
Singers have paid tribute to the star on Twitter. Bryan Adams wrote "Etta James... one of the best voices of all time... RIP".
Songwriter Nile Rodgers added: "When I was a kid, I remember walking all the way to Flash Record Shop in LA to buy a 45rpm single by Etta James. RIP."
British singer Adele has often cited James as an influence, and wrote an article praising her for The Observer in 2010.
"Everything she sings - you believe her, even if she never wrote a word of it herself. I saw her live in New York not so long ago: Extraordinary."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16288509
It was announced last year that the singer had been diagnosed with leukaemia and was undergoing treatment.
The star began singing in a group aged 14, before she embarked upon a solo career where she signed to the legendary Chess Records label.
She went on to win six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Legendary producer Jerry Wexler once called her "the greatest of all modern blues singers".
The singer died from complications of leukaemia
James' manager said she died at Riverside Community Hospital in California with her husband and sons at her side.
"It's a tremendous loss for her fans around the world," Lupe De Leon said. "She'll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category."
Singers have paid tribute to the star on Twitter. Bryan Adams wrote "Etta James... one of the best voices of all time... RIP".
Songwriter Nile Rodgers added: "When I was a kid, I remember walking all the way to Flash Record Shop in LA to buy a 45rpm single by Etta James. RIP."
British singer Adele has often cited James as an influence, and wrote an article praising her for The Observer in 2010.
"Everything she sings - you believe her, even if she never wrote a word of it herself. I saw her live in New York not so long ago: Extraordinary."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16288509