Legendary jazz, blues, soul and R&B star Etta James has died.
The brassy, assertive singer known for her enduring hits like “At Last” and “Something’s Got a Hold On Me” had been suffering from Leukemia, with which she was diagnosed in 2010. On December 6, 2011, it was announced that the disease was terminal. She was also suffering form dementia and hepatitis C. CNN reports that her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon has confirmed she died in hospital in Riverside, California. She was 73.
"This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world," De Leon said. "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."
James was a big personality and an idol to many singers. Her career had its ups and downs, she struggled with heroine addiction, she won six Grammys - including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 - and was a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
"For my money, Etta's one of the pioneers," late Atlantic Records' producer Jerry Wexler wrote in the book Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music. Wexler produced two of James's albums (via the CBC). "Like Aretha [Franklin], Etta is a church in herself, her voice a mighty instrument, her musical personality able to express an extraordinary range of moods."
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles to a teen mother in 1938. She never knew her father but CNN reports that she suspected he was famous pool player Minnesota Fats, who she once tracked down and met in a hotel lobby. She said “As far as me knowing that's my father? I don't know. But he seemed like he was.”
James was raised by a series of people and was recognized for her vocal talent at a young age.
In 1950, at age 12, she was discovered by Johnny Otis - who coincidentally died Tuesday at age 90. She joined Chess Records in 1960 and had a string of R&B and pop hits, then later took on a harder-edged, soul sound. In the 1970s she went through rehab for her drug addiction and again in 1988. By the 1990s she was considered a living legend.
James was portrayed by Beyoncé in the 2008 film Cadillac Records, which was about Chess. Beyoncé also sang James' "At Last" at president Barack Obama's inauguration - after which James expressed displeasure, though she later said she was joking and her son attributed the comments to James' declining mental state and her disappointment that she was not invited to attend the inauguration herself.
She was plagued by various health problems in later years, suffered from a blood infection and and at one point reportedly weighed 400 lbs. And the months leading up to her death were marred with reports of legal squabbles over her estate between her husband Artis Mills and her sons Donto and Sametto.
James’ final album, The Dreamer, was released November 8, 2011.
