Soul has just lost one of its last stars. The singer Bill Withers, unforgettable interpreter of "Ain't no sunshine", "Lovely Day", "Just the Two of Us", "Use me" or "Lean on me", died at age 81-year-old from heart complications, his family said.
Born in West Virginia, in the United States, in 1938, the author, composer and performer had a path full of pitfalls before meeting phenomenal success from the 1970s.
Fatherless at 13, Bill Withers joined the United States Navy when he was not yet of legal age. After nine years on the seas, he moved to Los Angeles. He works in a Ford factory by day and plays at night in blues and jazz cabarets.
Bill Withers manages to make himself known and recognized. Between 1971 and 1985, he recorded nine albums and acquired his first success with "Ain't No Sunshine". In 2005, he joined the Songwriters Hall of Fame with David Porter and Isaac Hayes.
Winner of 33 Grammy Awards during his career, he is one of the most successful artists around the world. The famous song "Ain't no Sunshine" was, for example, sung by Paul McCartney, Isaac Hayes and Michael Jackson. NTM even sampled it in its title "I press the trigger"
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved and devoted husband and father," wrote his family, describing "a lonely man with a heart connected to the world, through poetry and music."
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"In these difficult times, we pray that his music will provide comfort and entertainment to the fans," still hope the relatives of the musician who disappeared in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic.
