Soul singer Bill Withers dies aged 81
US soul singer Bill Withers has died aged 81 of heart complications, according to a statement from his family.
The influential musician wrote Lean on Me, Ain’t No Sunshine and Lovely Day.
The family statement reads: “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.”
“I’m not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with. I don’t think I’ve done bad for a guy from Slab Fork, West Virginia,” Withers told Rolling Stone in 2015.
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was among those of the showbusiness world paying tribute to Withers, calling him “maestro”.
Rest In Peace, maestro Bill Withers.
What a legacy.https://t.co/GBImqLRdPh— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 3, 2020
Chance The Rapper called him “the greatest”.
Aw man, Bill Withers was really the greatest. Grandma’s Hands, Ain’t No Sunshine, Lean on Me, Use Me Up, Just The Two Of Us and obviously Lovely Day are some of the best songs of all time. My heart really hurts for him, it reminds me of playing records with at my grandma’s house
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 3, 2020
Ask any songwriter in the world and they will tell you Bill Withers was a genius whose life's work was a gift. Rest in peace. You are beloved.pic.twitter.com/3rbXxVs7jt
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) April 3, 2020
I'm now dancing in the sun to Bill Withers grateful my back is on the mend and it is Friday night and some things were fixed this week and I'm grateful for so many things and people. Things will get better folks #dancelikenooneiswatching
— Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) April 3, 2020
Withers won three Grammy Awards during his lifetime from seven nominations. His first studio album Just As I Man was released in 1971. It yielded the singles Ain't No Sunshine and Grandma's Hands.
Aint No Sunshine won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1972 and sold over one million copies.
His second album Still Bill was released later that same year. The single Lean on Me, from that album, was Withers’s second gold single with confirmed sales in excess of three million.
He released eight studio albums, one live album, and number of compilations over the years. After his 1985 album Watching You Watching Me failed to chart, he walked away from the music industry.
Withers married actress Denise Nicholas in 1973 and they divorced in 1974. In 1976, Withers married Marcia Johnson, and they had two children Todd and Kori.
In 2015 he was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
