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Withers produced nine albums, most of them
written and recorded in the 1970s, starting with "Just As I Am,"
which included "Ain't No Sunshine," which won him the first of
three Grammy Awards, according to his official website.
His musical career ebbed in the 1980s as he left "the hype and
the hoopla" of the spotlight for a more private life, it said.
"A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at
large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people
and connected them to each other," Rolling Stone magazine quoted
the family as saying a statement. "As private a life as he lived
close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs
to the world.”
Withers was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015,
among his several honors, and made a rare public appearance to
accept the tribute.
His death drew a flood of tributes, including one from
Democratic U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who said he
often played Withers' "Lovely Day" at events during his
now-ended presidential campaign.
"In this time of death and pain, I hold onto him," Booker said
in a statement. "He gave us lifetimes of light and that flame
will never be extinguished."
Booker's former campaign rival, Senator Kamala Harris of
California, called Withers a legend whose song "Grandma's Hands"
reminded her of her own grandmother and other mother figures.
"Let's all continue to live by his cherished lyrics during these
times and lean on each other," Harris said in a statement.
William Harrison Withers Jr. was born on July 4, 1938, in Slab
Fork, West Virginia, a coal country town of 200, the son of a
miner who died when Withers was 13. He joined the Navy at 17 as
his "ticket out," according to his website.
After his military service, he moved to Los Angeles where he
worked in an aircraft parts factory, taught himself to play the
guitar and made a demo tape that launched his career.
(Reporting by Frank McGurty and Peter Szekely in New York;
Editing by Franklin Paul and Matthew Lewis)
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