Soul legend Isaac Hayes has died at his home in Shelby, Tennessee at the age of 65.
Hayes became known worldwide in 1971 for his compelling ‘The Theme From Shaft’ but developed a whole new generation of fans, not as a musician but as a character voice. He was Chef in South Park.Hayes was one of the stars of the Stax label in the 60s. He worked for the label as a songwriter and wrote the hits ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ and ‘Soul Man’ for Sam & Dave.
The Stax machine was Hayes with songwriter partner David Porter along with the Stax studio band Booker T & The MGs featuring Steve Cropper and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn. The were the sound of Stax Records.
Hayes albums ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ and ‘Black Moses’ are considered two of the greatest soul albums of all time.
After Stax Records collapsed, he was heavily in debt and was declared bankrupt in 1976. It didn’t end there though. A year later, he signed with Polydor Records and by 1979 was riding the disco wave with the hit song ‘Don’t Let Go’.
In the 80s, he became an actor and had parts in ‘Escape From New York’, ‘Robin Hood: Men In Tights’ and ‘Johnny Mnemonic’.
In March 2006, Hayes suffered a stroke but a year later, got back up on stage for a performance with Booker T & The MGs at SXSW in Austin.
Hayes was found dead in his house near a treadmill. The cause of death is yet to be determined.
