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Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Bill Withers, famously known for some of the world’s biggest songs, died from heart complications this week. He was 81.

Photo by Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images

The family confirmed the news in a statement, “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.”

The West Virginia native was born in 1938. A difficult childhood would lead him to later go on and create the incomparable Lovely Day, Lean On Me and Ain’t No Sunshine, Use Me and Just the Two of Us. He won three Grammy awards and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

 

 

Withers leaves behind his Marcia Johnson and their two children, Todd and Kori. Our continued thoughts and prayers are with their family.

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