As confirmed by Rolling Stone, Bobby Womack, soul singer and member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, has died at the age of 70. His cause of death remains unknown, but he reportedly suffered from diabetes and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease over the last few years.
Womack had been involved in music for his entire life, having gotten his start singing with his siblings in Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers. That group would later change its name to the Valentinos in 1960 after working with legendary singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. With the Valentinos, Womack recorded “It’s All Over Now,” a song that The Rolling Stones would later cover and turn into their first number-one hit on the British charts.
In 1968, Womack released his first solo album, Fly Me To The Moon, followed by a steady stream of R&B hits up until 1974’s Lookin’ For A Love Again. Womack enjoyed a career resurgence in 1981 with the song “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” and then again in 2012 with the album The Bravest Man In The Universe, which was co-produced by Blur’s Damon Albarn. Womack also appeared on “Stylo,” one of Albarn’s Gorrilaz songs.
Womack was diagnosed with colon cancer in March of 2012, but was declared cancer-free by May of that year. He was reportedly working on a new album at the time of his death, The Best Is Yet To Come, which was set to feature Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, and Snoop Dogg.
Not one to let his decades of success go to his head, Womack told Rolling Stone after the release of his last album, “I understand the songs much better now. It’s not about 14 Rolls Royces and two Bentleys. Even if this album never sells a nickel, I know I put my best foot forward.” Upon being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2009, Womack compared the experience to witnessing Barack Obama’s election, saying that, “if you’re blessed to be able to wait on what’s important to you, a lot of things will change in life.”