Bobby Womack, the legendary soul singer whose career spanned seven decades, died Friday at age 70, according to Rolling Stone Magazine. A representative for Womack’s label XL Recordings confirmed the singer’s death, but said the cause of death was currently unknown.
The son of two musicians, Womack began a long-spanning singing career as a member of Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers. Sam Cooke signed the group to his SAR Records in 1960, when they worked largely as a gospel band before changing their name to the Valentinos and earning success with a more secular soul sound. In 1964, one month after the Valentinos released their hit “It’s All Over Now,” the Rolling Stones released their version, which went to #1 on the UK singles charts.
After leaving the group in 1965, Womack became a session musician, playing guitar on several albums before releasing his 1968 debut album, Fly Me to the Moon, the first in a string of successful R&B albums
Womack’s career stalled after the death of his brother, until his 1981 R&B hit “If You Think You’re Lonely Now.” The singer struggled with a well-known drug addiction, which lead to a number of health problems, but the singer’s cause of death was unknown at the time of publication.
Womack released The Bravest Man in the Universe, his first album in over a decade, only two years ago. Produced by Damon Albarn and XL’s Richard Russell, the album made Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Albums of 2012. Womack was reportedly in the process of recording his next album for XL, tentatively titled, The Best Is Yet to Come.
