Isaac Hayes Dies at Age 65

Grammy- and Oscar-winning soul star Isaac Hayes has died after being found unconscious in his Tennessee home. Relatives reportedly found the singer next to a running treadmill, and paramedics brought him to a hospital, where he was declared dead. While the cause of death hasn't been released at this time, a police spokesman said the family believes "a medical condition" was to blame.

Hayes, who was born in Covington, Tennessee on August 20, 1942, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 by Alicia Keys. His 1971 score for Shaft earned him an Academy Award and two Grammys, and he picked up another Grammy the following year for his 1971 double album Black Moses.

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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