Stars pay tribute to Lovely Day singer

LEGENDARY soul singer Bill Withers has died at the age of 81.

The artist, who wrote and sang a string of timeless hits, including Lovely Day, Just the Two of Us and Ain’t No Sunshine, passed away due to heart complications, his family said yesterday.

In a statement, they added: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father.

“A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other.

“As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world.

“In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones.”

Withers died in Los Angeles on Monday – at a time when his song Lean On Me has been a source of inspiration amid the coronavirus pandemic. Doctors, nurses and care workers are among those who have posted renditions of it on social media.

Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall tweeted: “The world has lost one of the greatest African-American songwriters

BY CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN to have ever walked this Earth. Thank you, thank you, Bill Withers.”

Level 42 frontman Mark King posted: “Oh man. RIP Bill Withers. One of my all-time favourites, what a musical legacy to give to the world.”

Although his songs are famous around the world, Withers’ career was brief. He retired from music in the mid-80s to live a profoundly private life.

He told Rolling Stone magazine in 2014: “What few songs I wrote, there ain’t a genre that somebody didn’t record them in.

“I’m not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with.”

The singer won three Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 by Stevie Wonder.

Born in the coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill joined the US Navy at 17 and spent almost a decade as an aircraft mechanic.

He then worked in an aircraft parts factory in LA, where he bought a guitar from a pawn shop to record his demos. He signed to Sussex Records in 1971.

Bill is survived by his wife Marcia and two children, Todd and Kori.

WITHERS FAMILY