Etta James, who was crucial for Chess Records, dies at 73
22.05.12
The storms of life bring clarity to a song.
And music is where Etta James found shelter.
Mrs. James died early Friday at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Calif., of complications from leukemia, according to her manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.
She also had been suffering from dementia and kidney problems. In December, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal and asked for prayers for the singer.
Mrs. James’ husband, Artis Mills, and her two sons were at her side when she died, De Leon said.
“It’s a tremendous loss for her fans around the world,” De Leon said. “She’ll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category.”
Mrs. James’ best known song was the ballad “At Last,” recorded in 1961, just after she signed with Argo, a subsidiary of Chicago’s Chess Records. With her measured contralto, Mrs. James surrendered to the dynamics of an entire relationship: the wanting, the discovery and renewal. The journey was arduous. And she was at the finish line.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times