Bill Withers, the legendary singer-songwriter behind songs such as “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” has died from heart complications at the age of 81, his family announced in a statement to The Associated Press Friday. The three-time Grammy Award winner died Monday in Los Angeles, the statement revealed.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other,” the family statement read. “As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones.”
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Withers, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, withdrew from the public eye in the mid-1980s, with him joking to Rolling Stone in 2015 that he often heard from people who thought he had already passed away.
“Sometimes I wake up and I wonder myself,” he told the magazine with a laugh. “A very famous minister actually called me to find out whether I was dead or not. I said to him, ‘Let me check.’”
Reflecting on the status of music today, Withers said, “I grew up in the age of Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson. It was a time where a fat, ugly broad that could sing had value. Now everything is about image. It’s not poetry. This just isn’t my time.”
He may have taken a break from releasing music, but his impact is still felt, especially in the African-American community, Questlove told the magazine. “He’s the last African-American Everyman. Jordan’s vertical jump has to be higher than everyone. Michael Jackson has to defy gravity. On the other side of the coin, we’re often viewed as primitive animals. We rarely land in the middle. Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.”
Photo credit: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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