Ray Charles Dead at 73

[wondergirl9847]

Grammy-Winning Crooner Ray Charles Dies

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as "What'd I Say" and heartfelt ballads like "Georgia on My Mind," died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 73.

Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney.

Charles last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer's studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, as a historic landmark.

Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, Charles spent his life shattering any notion of musical boundaries and defying easy definition. A gifted pianist and saxophonist, he dabbled in country, jazz, big band and blues, and put his stamp on it all with a deep, warm voice roughened by heartbreak from a hardscrabble childhood in the segregated South.

"His sound was stunning — it was the blues, it was R&B, it was gospel, it was swing — it was all the stuff I was listening to before that but rolled into one amazing, soulful thing," singer Van Morrison told Rolling Stone magazine in April.

Charles won nine of his 12 Grammy Awards between 1960 and 1966, including the best R&B recording three consecutive years ("Hit the Road Jack," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Busted").

His versions of other songs are also well known, including "Makin' Whoopee" and a stirring "America the Beautiful." Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote "Georgia on My Mind" in 1931 but it didn't become Georgia's official state song until 1979, long after Charles turned it into an American standard.

[CarneVaca]

Rest in peace, Ray. Thanks for the wonderful gift.

[dissention]

I hope he's well wherever he is. He was a true talent.

[golddustwoman77]

Ray, you're on our mind. Rest peacefully and thanks for your gift to the world.

[Villavic]

I wasn't a Ray Charles fan, actually I didn't even know him until I saw We are the World. And found a great performer. Later I knew other works of him. Great talent, no doubt. The duet with Billy Joel is beautiful, and other songs I can't remember.

Now you sure are singing with other idols in heaven (Lennon, Sinatra, Orbison, Harrison, Elvis...)

[madformac]

Rest in peace Ray, one more of the originals to join the great jam in the sky..

"There'll be no more hard times"

[darklinensuit]

I saw him at the Rodeo last year. I love Georgia On My Mind (He didn't perform it) and Joan Osbourne's song Spider Web about him.

- Jake

[stratist3217]

R.I.P. man, I just played "Tears in Heaven" for you.

[Hawkeye]

Oh man this is some sad news.

[ShangriLaTroubl]

Man that IS some real sad news...I hate to hear that...he was a true talent...this news actually shocked me because I was unaware that he was in poor health..

Chris

[macmar71]

I am sure that I had heard his songs on the radio when I was young but I will always remember the first time I really recall Ray Charles was in the Blues Brothers movie which came out when I was ten . RIP Ray!

[littlelies7]

You'll be missed dearly, Mr. Charles. Rest in peace.