Music legend Etta James has died after a two year battle with leukemia. James, who also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C, was surrounded by her husband, Artis Mills, and two sons when she passed away at a hospital in Riverside, California. She was 73 and would have celebrated her birthday next Wednesday.
James’ close friend and longtime manager, Lupe De Leon, announced her death in a statement. "This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world. She was a true original who could sing it all – her music defied category. I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always,” he said.
The six time Grammy winner began her music career as a teenager in the mid 50s. Her earliest success came with the 1955 hit The Wallflower, which reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. James went on to have a string of hits, including Something’s Got a Hold on Me, At Last, Call My Name and I’d Rather Go Blind. She was portrayed by Beyonce Knowles in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records.
James’ struggle with heroin addiction led to several arrests and stints in rehab, including 17 months of treatment at the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital in 1974. She was arrested in the early 70s along with husband Artis Mills for heroin possession, but escaped prison time because Mills took the fall for them both. Mills was sentenced to 10 years in prison and served his time from 1972 to 1982.
James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. She released her final album, The Dreamer, in November 2011.
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