April 14, 2015
American soul singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Percy Sledge, died Tuesday at age 74, the Associated Press reports.
The R&B soul singer is known for his recognizable by his gap-toothed smile and for producing the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1966 “When A Man Loves A Woman, “ which was ranked No. 54 in the list of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time.
The breakthrough single was a personal triumph for Sledge, the AP reports, as "it was the first No. 1 hit from Alabama's burgeoning Muscle Shoals music scene, where Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones among others would record, and the first gold record for Atlantic Records."
The song became a standard that sustained his long touring career in the U.S., Europe and South Africa, when he averaged 100 performances a year, and led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Famed R&B singer Percy Sledge died this morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was 73. pic.twitter.com/EwQhPiv5sl
— Historical Pictures (@HistoryTime_) April 14, 2015
Sledge's death Tuesday, at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the result of natural causes.
Read the full Associated Press article here.
