Duane 'Dog' Chapman Pays Tribute to Bill Withers Following Death at 81

Duane 'Dog' Chapman is mourning the loss of iconic singer-songwriter Bill Withers after the [...]

By Anna Rumer

Duane "Dog" Chapman is mourning the loss of iconic singer-songwriter Bill Withers after the musician behind songs like "Lean On Me," "Lovely Day" and "Ain't No Sunshine," died at the age of 81 last week. Withers family announced he had passed away on March 30 in Los Angeles due to heart complications in a statement to The Associated Press Friday. Since then, Withers' countless fans and peers have been paying tribute to him on social media, and the Dog the Bounty Hunter star is no exception.

Chapman honored three-time Grammy Award winner Monday on his Twitter account, sharing a video of Withers performing "Ain't No Sunshine" and adding "RIP" in the caption. Chapman was immediately praised by his followers for sharing the performance, who applauded the song as a "worldwide classic." Others added that Withers was "singing with the angels now" after his death.

Withers' family said in a statement Friday, "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. 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."

The soul singer famously took a break from the spotlight in the mid 1980s, but was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Reflecting on the state of music that same year to Rolling Stones, Withers spoke candidly of feeling like his time had passed to be in the music industry. "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 said at the time.

Questlove added to the magazine that while Withers might have stepped back from the industry, his impact is still felt. "He's the last African-American Everyman. Jordan's vertical jump has to be higher than everyone," he said. "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."

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