Singer Percy Sledge dies at Baton Rouge home after battle with cancer
02:37
Source: Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB/AP) -
Soul musician Percy Sledge, known for the classic 1966 hit "When a Man Loves a
Woman"
died Tuesday morning at his Baton Rouge home. He was 74 years old.
The East Baton Rouge Parish coroner confirmed the singer's death. Dr. William
"Beau"
Clark said Sledge died just after midnight. According to the Fans of Percy
Sledge
Facebook page, he passed away peacefully early Tuesday morning at his home
surrounded
by his wife Rosa and their children after a long battle with cancer.
"It's one of the saddest days of my life," longtime friend Michael Vice said.
"Having
performed with him in his backup band for over 35 years, He was a friend
backstage.
A very gracious person, considerate and great to work for- great to perform
with."
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Percy Sledge dies at 73
Sledge was born in Leighton, Alabama, but spent most of his career living in
Baton
Rouge. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Prior to
that,
he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1993. He was also
inducted
into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Between 1966 and 1968, Sledge used his forlorn, crying vocal style to record a
series
of Southern soul standards. In later years, Sledge continued to be an in-demand
performer
in the United States and Europe as "When a Man Loves a Woman" kept popping up in
movies, including "The Big Chill" and "The Crying Game."
"When a Man Loves a Woman is an iconic song," Johnny Palazzotto, a producer who
worked
with and interviewed Sledge said. "I mean women, how many times do you think
that's
been played at weddings? You know it's a song that many brides have their
husbands
dance with them to."
Sledge said he was inspired by a girlfriend who left him for a modeling career
after
he was laid off from a construction job in 1965, but he gave the songwriting
credits
to two Esquires bandmates, bassist Calvin Lewis and organist Andrew Wright, who
helped
him with the song.
The song found renewed fame in the 1980s as part of the soundtrack for the movie
Platoon
.
"Every show we would bring him up on stage with what you call the intro music to
When A Man Loves a Woman," Vice said. "He would maybe sing a line of it just to
tease
the audience and then he would go into other songs. But the actual full length
song
itself, When a Man Loves a Woman, was always the last song of the show."
Some of Sledge's other songs include:
The Percy Sledge Way, Warm and Tender Soul
and
Take Time and Know Her
.
The Facebook post also stated, "Percy rose to international stardom in the early
60s when people around the world first heard his unmistakable voice on the
timeless
hit "When A Man Loves A Woman" and won the hearts of millions. Since then he
continued
to record numerous albums and perform for his legions of fans around the globe
until
early last year."
"Losing someone like Percy is a very difficult thing for many of his fans to
accept
and his music will live forever," Palazzotto said. "Somebody's always going to
be
playing that song."
Sledge was born Nov. 25, 1940, in Leighton, AL.
Look for more information throughout the day. Sources say funeral arrangements
are
in progress.
Copyright 2015
WAFB
Here’s a link to a TV station broadcast which is interesting to here:
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/28798396/singer-percy-sledge-dies-at-baton-rouge-home-after-battle-with-cancer#.VxN0BORKozh.facebook
