Legendary R&B Icon Luther Vandross Dead At 54

[SETIsLady]

July 2, 2005 1:12 a.m. EST

(AHN) - Grammy winner Luther Vandross died on Friday at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. The exact cause of death has yet to be released.

Vandross suffered a massive stroke in 2003 and never fully recovered.

Born on April 20, 1951, in New York, Vandross worked behind the scenes for most of the '70s, singing commercial jingles and singing back-up for Dionne Warwick, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand and David Bowie.

Vandross also had a knack for songwriting, and he was a major force behind Bowie's soul-inspired album "Young Americans" in 1975. After several failed attempts at launching a solo career, he had a string of seven million-selling albums in the '80s, scoring No. 1 R&B hits like "Never Too Much" and "Here and Now."

But, his signature moments were epic covers of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David ballad "A House is Not a Home," originally sung by Warwick, and Leon Russell's "Superstar," a hit for the Carpenters in 1971. Warwick called Vandross' version of her 1964 hit "definitive."

Vandross kept scoring hits over the next 15 years, including his highest-charting pop singles, "Endless Love" (with Mariah Carey) and "Power of Love/Love Power."

Even after his stroke, his musical momentum kept going strong. In 2004, he was awarded four Grammys, including best song for "Dance With My Father." The singer delivered a videotaped thank you.

He said, "Remember, when I say goodbye it's never for long," he said, then quoted from his own song: "Because I believe in the power of love."

Vandross, who never married, is survived by his mother.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/cgi-bin/ ... 62270&fa=1

I hope he is dancing with his father again, may he rest in peace:(

[black widow]

I know when I herd of his passing
it made me think of all the sexy songs
he wrote and sang....what a loss:(