[h=3]
Oh nooooooooooooo. 
RIP.[/h][h=1]R.I.P. Bobby Womack, legendary soul singer dead at 70[/h] by
CoS Staff
on June 27, 2014, 3:54pm
[h=3]Legendary soul singer
Bobby Womack has died, according to his label, XL Recordings. He was 70 years old.[/h] [h=3]A cause of death is currently unknown. However, in recent years, Womack had been
diagnosed with colon cancer and may have suffering the
early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.[/h] [h=3]Born March 4th, 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio, Womack grew up in an devoutly religious family: his father was a Baptist minster and his mother was the church’s resident organ player. After buying his first guitar in 1954, a 10-year-old Womack joined forces with his brother Curtis to form the Womack Brothers, and the siblings toured the gospel circuit throughout much of the 1950s.[/h] [h=3]In 1956, singing legend Sam Cooke discovered the brothers, urging them to change their name to The Valentinos and to move toward a more soul-influenced. Over the next decade, The Valentinos scored a handful of hits, including “Lookin’ for a Love” and the Bobby Womack-penned “It’s All Over Now”. The brothers Womack disbanded the Valentinos following Sam Cooke’s sudden death in 1964.[/h] [h=3]By the early 1970s, Womack had begun working as a songwriter and guitarist for several big-name acts, including The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Sly Stone, Wilson Pickett, and many more. During this time, Womack had a big solo hit with a remake of his first hit single, “Lookin’ for a Love”. However, he closed out the 1970s by once again finding most of his success in collaborations with others, including penning Wilton Felder’s “(No Matter How High I Get) I’ll Still Be Looking Up to You” and releasing a few duets with Patti LaBelle.[/h] [h=3]By 1985, Womack’s issues with substance abuse had derailed his career. However, he sobered up in the mid-1990s and was able to release a handful of albums and also collaborate with the likes of Todd Rundgren and The Roots. After a few more releases in the 2000s, Womack experienced a sudden career resurgence when Damon Albarn tapped him to contribute to Gorillaz’
Plastic Beach album. He parlayed that work into a deal with XL Recordings, who released 2012’s
The Bravest Man in the Universe.[/h] [h=3]Despite his sorted medical issues, Womack continued his work into 2014. He toured regularly and was also at-work on his next album, tentatively titled
The Best Is Yet To Come, which reportedly featured cameos from Ron Isley, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, and Snoop Dogg.[/h][h=3]Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.[/h][h=3][/h]
