|
"He passed away on Thursday," said publicist Phil Brown,
adding funeral arrangements would be announced within days.
King was born in North Carolina and moved to Harlem, New York,
as a child. He began his career in the doo-wop group The Five
Crowns, which later became The Drifters, before branching out as
a solo artist.
"With an extremely heavy heart, I must say goodbye to one of the
sweetest, gentlest and gifted souls that I have had the
privilege of knowing and calling my friend for more than 50 year
years, Mr Ben E. King," R&B singer Gary U.S. Bonds said on
Facebook.
The Drifters had a string of hits with Atlantic Records and were
inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. King
co-wrote and sang the lead on the group's first hit, "There Goes
My Baby," in 1959.
He also was the lead vocalist with the group on songs such as
"Save the Last Dance for Me," "This Magic Moment," "Dance With
Me" and "I Count the Tears."
After a contractual dispute, King began a solo career in 1960
and recorded his best-known song, "Stand By Me," which was voted
one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry
Association of America. King, along with Jerry Lieber and Mike
Stoller, wrote the 1961 hit.
The song, which is featured in and provided the title for the
1986 film "Stand by Me" by director Rob Reiner, was also
inducted by the Library of Congress into the National Recording
Registry. King had five No. 1 hits with The Drifters and as a
solo artist.
King is survived by his wife, Betty, three children and six
grandchildren.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Steve
Orlofsky and Ted Botha)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
