Etta James, born Jamesetta Hawkins, has passed away at 73 years old. She was an American songwriter who, with her beautifully sexy and sultry voice, sang classics such as At Last, Dance with Me, Tell Mama, Henry, and I’d Rather Go Blind. She is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
James was hospitalized in January 2010 to treat an infection caused by MRSA. During her hospitalization, her son Donto revealed that James had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, and attributed her previous comments about Beyoncé Knowles to “drug induced dementia“.She was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2011. She became terminal and succumbed to her illness on January 20, 2012, just five days before her 74th birthday, at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California. The man who discovered her, Johnny Otis, had died just three days earlier. (Wikipedia.com).
Rings of Light would like to send her family, friends, and fans our deepest condolescences but her music will live on in the hearts of thousands. She was truly a light in the world of Rhythmn and Blues and Jazz. Live on Ms. Etta….live on!
