Los Angeles: Legendary Blues singer Etta James, the tempestuous voice behind classics like At Last and Tell Mama, has died after losing her battle with leukaemia.
The 73-year-old soul diva, the original bad girl of music in ’50s and ’60s, succumbed to the illness at a hospital in Riverside, California. James, one of the first women inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was also suffering from dementia and hepatitis C, her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon told CNN.
Her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons Donto and Sametto were by her side. “This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world. She was a true original who could sing it all – her music defied category. I worked with Etta for over 30 years.
She was my friend and I will miss her always,” De Leon said. The iconic entertainer was battling poor heath in recent months and died just short of her 74th birthday.
The six time Grammy winner, whose career lasted for close to half century, spent years battling a drug addiction that she admitted marred her talent and life.
“The bad girls had the look that I liked. I wanted to be rare, I wanted to be noticed, I wanted to be exotic as a Cotton Club chorus girl, and I wanted to be obvious as the most flamboyant hooker on the street. I just wanted to be,” James wrote in her 1995 autobiography ‘Rage to Survive’.
Born Jamesette Hawkins in Los Angeles on January 25 1938 to a mother whom she described as a scam artist and substance abuser. She never knew her father and was brought up in the Christian faith by foster parents Lula and Jesse Rogers. James’ talent was discovered by bandleader Johnny Otis in the early 1950s. After changing her name to Etta James, she had a hit with Dance With Me Henry and toured with Otis’s band, never to look behind.
R&B singer Beyonce, who played James in Cadillac Records, a big-screen adaptation of the singer’s life, led the tribute to the great artist. “This is a huge loss. Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime,” Beyonce said in a statement. (PTI)