Legendary soul singer Percy Sledge has passed away at the age
of 73.
He was best known for recording the classic 1966 power ballad
When a Man Loves a Woman.
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Coroner Dr. William 'Beau'
Clark confirmed to The Associated Press that Sledge died early Tuesday morning.
The news was also confirmed to ABC News by his agent of 35
years, Steve Green, who said that the singer died after a long battle with
cancer.
The Take Time To Know Her hitmaker was born in Leighton,
Alabama on November 25, 1941
Sledge's first recording took him from hospital orderly to a
long touring career averaging 100 performances a year and an induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
He was also inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
and was the inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in
1989.
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.
He had a long career that spanned over fifty years with his
last album release being The Gospel Of Percy Sledge in 2013.
Sledge rose to fame as his debut single When A Man Loves A
Woman became a No. 1 hit in 1966.
It was the first single to hit No. 1 from Alabama's Muscle
Shoals music scene as Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones among many others
recorded there. It was also the first gold record for Atlantic Records.
His biggest hit was popularised again in 1991, when Michael
Bolton released a Grammy Award winning cover of the song.
Daily Mail Reports
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