https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-bill-withers-dead-aint-21808901?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=EM_MirrorNews_BreakingNews_Button1&utm_campaign=daily_newsletterBill Withers dead Ain't No Sunshine singer dies aged 81 from a heart condition
Bill Withers has died today at the age of 81 from a heart condition
By Christopher Bucktin United States Editor & Emmeline Saunders
15:13, 3 APR 2020 Updated 17:04, 3 APR 2020
Soul star Bill Withers has died today at the age of 81. The legendary American singer, who was most famous for hits Ain't No Sunshine, Lovely Day, Just The Two Of Us and Lean On Me, has passed away. He was suffering from a heart condition, according to local reports. A statement from his family said: "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."
Of his incredible career, which spanned decades, Bill told Rolling Stone in 2015: "I'm not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with. I don't think I've done badly for a guy from Slab Fork, West Virginia."
He won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for four more. Bill overcame a stutter as a child and the death of his father at the age of 13. He enlisted in the US Navy and found a love of songwriting while serving. Withers passed away on Monday in Los Angeles at a time when his songs have been a source of inspiration amid the coronavirus epidemic. Doctors and nurses, school children, care workers as well as the general public have posted their own renditions of Lean on Me on social media to comfort others in their time of need. Paying tribute Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall tweeted: “The world has lost one of the greatest African American songwriters to have ever walked this Earth. Thank you, thank you, Bill Withers.â€
Piers Morgan added: “One of the great singer-songwriters, the maestro behind so many iconic songs like Lean On Me, Lovely Day, Ain’t No Sunshine. Thanks for the music, Bill.â€
Level 42 frontman, Mark King, said: “Oh man. RIP Bill Withers. One of my all-time favourites, what a musical legacy to give to the world.â€
Although receiving worldwide fame through his music, Withers's career was brief as he withdrew from his star status to live a profoundly private life. “What few songs I wrote during my brief career, there ain’t a genre that somebody didn’t record them in,†he told Rolling Stone in 2014.
“I’m not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with. I don’t think I’ve done badly for a guy from Slab Fork, West Virginia.â€
The singer, who retired from music in the mid-1980s, was one of the best known American musicians of the 20th century, winning three Grammy Awards and honoured with an induction into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 2015 by Stevie Wonder. Born William Withers Jr in segregated coal-mining town Slab Fork on July 4. 1958, he joined the US Navy at 17 spending almost a decade as an aircraft mechanic installing toilets. After his discharge, he moved to L.A. where he worked at an aircraft parts factory but bought a guitar at a pawnshop to recorded demos of his tunes in hopes of landing a recording contract. In 1971, he signed to Sussex Records, releasing his first album, Just As I Am, with the legendary Booker T. Jones. It included the hits Grandma’s Hands and Ain’t No Sunshine. Lean On Me, a nod to the power of friendship, was performed at the inaugurations of both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Ain’t No Sunshine and Lean On Me are among Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Bill is survived by his second wife, Marcia, and children, Todd and Kori.
