LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Three-time Grammy winner singer Etta James, a pioneer of 1950s rhythm-and-blues and rock music known for her show-stopping hit “At Last,” has died at age 73, her manager said on Friday.
James, died on Friday morning at a hospital in Riverside, California, of complications from leukemia, Lupe De Leon said. She would have turned 74 on Wednesday.
“She passed away this morning. She was with her husband and her sons. She passed away from complications from leukemia,” said De Leon, James’s long time friend and manager.
James was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago and had been in failing health for a number of years.
Her live-in doctor said in December that James was terminally ill with leukemia. She also suffered from diabetes, kidney problems and dementia and was hospitalized late last year because she was struggling to breathe.
James was a key figure in the early days of R&B music with hit songs like “The Wallflower” and “Good Rockin’ Daddy”. But it was her 1961 recording of the ballad “At Last” that put her on the music map.
