Bill Withers , legendary voice behind songs like ' Ain't No Sunshine ' and ' Lean on Me ', died in Los Angeles at 81 years of age from heart complications. This was announced by the same family of the artist three times Grammy Award. The news of the soul singer's death comes at a time when his 'Lean on Me' became a hymn to resistance in the times of the coronavirus epidemic with several artists who each in their own way reinterpreted the song to offer support to those involved in the front line against the virus as well as to the victims. "We are destroyed by the death of our beloved and devoted father and husband - reads the family statement -. A lonely man with a heart motivated to connect the world in general, with his poetry and music he spoke honestly to people by relating them with each other ... His music belongs to the world forever ". Regarded as the equivalent of a Bruce Springsteen for African Americans, Withers was active between the 70s and 80s, then in 1985 he decided to retire from the scene preferring private life. Born in 1938 in West Virginia, Withers grew up with stuttering, a defect that he managed to overcome only during the years in which he was in the service of the American Navy, at the same time he also began to approach music. After leaving the Navy in 1965 he moved to Los Angeles where he began his musical career and at the same time working in the factory.
At the beginning he paid for his demos out of his own pocket and even when he published 'Ain't No Sunshine' in 1971 he did not stop working as a worker because he believed that music was an unstable sector. The album 'Just as I Am' which contains 'Ain't No Sunshine' (Grammy in 1972 for best Rhythm and Blues song) was an instant hit. The following year he repeats with 'Still Bill' and the single Lean on Me. Despite his short career, Withers' songs have become the soundtrack for weddings, engagement parties, important events. At the base of them powerful melodies with a perfect rhythm mixed with a persuasive voice that appeals to emotions. "I am not a virtuoso - he said in an interview - but I have been able to write songs in which people can identify themselves". As a hymn to friendship, Lean on Me was executed at both Bill Clinton's oath of presidency and Barack Obama. Rolling Stones magazine also added him to the list of the best 500 songs of all time. In 2015 Withers was introduced to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Stevie Wonder while his music was used for covers by artists such as Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Paul McCartney, Sting, Johnny Mathis, Aaron Neville, Al Jarreau, Mick Jagger, Nancy Wilson, Diana Ross