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Bobby Womack Obituary: Soul Legend Dead at 70

Bobby Womack moved from gospel beginnings with his brothers to solo soul success, songwriting and session guitar work. He died in 2014 at age 70; no cause was announced in contemporaneous reports.
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Bobby Womack, the soul singer, songwriter and guitarist, died on June 27, 2014, at age 70. Contemporaneous reports did not announce a cause of death. His career stretched from gospel performances with his brothers to solo hits, songs recorded by other artists and influential session work.

Who was Bobby Womack?

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 4, 1944, Bobby Dwayne Womack built a career across several sides of popular music. He was a compelling solo singer, a songwriter whose work became hits for others, and a guitarist sought for recording sessions. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 2009, recognizing those overlapping roles.

His career began with his brothers in a gospel group called the Womack Brothers. Sam Cooke signed the group to SAR Records and renamed them the Valentinos. Accounts differ on whether the signing took place in 1960 or 1961, so the year is not certain. The group moved from gospel toward R&B, recording songs including “Lookin’ For A Love.”

What songs did Bobby Womack write?

“It’s All Over Now”

Womack wrote “It’s All Over Now,” first recorded by the Valentinos. The Rolling Stones’ cover became the band’s first UK No. 1; it peaked at No. 26 in the United States, not No. 1 there, as the Los Angeles Times later corrected. Los Angeles Times

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Solo songs

As a solo artist, Womack recorded songs including “That’s the Way I Feel About ’Cha,” “Woman’s Gotta Have It,” “Across 110th Street” and “If You Think You’re Lonely Now.” Albums such as The Poet, The Poet II and So Many Rivers show the breadth of his work beyond the early Valentinos recordings.

How did his career extend beyond his own records?

Womack wrote for other artists and played guitar on sessions, work that made him a presence behind the scenes as well as onstage. Accounts of his career cite associations with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley and Sly Stone. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame describes him as a singer, songwriter and session musician, and its 2009 essay calls him one of popular music’s “great triple threats.” Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

His later work connected him with a new generation of collaborators. He appeared on Gorillaz’s “Stylo,” from Plastic Beach, and worked with Damon Albarn on The Bravest Man in the Universe, released in 2012. At the time of his death, he was recording a project tentatively titled The Best Is Yet To Come; it was in progress, not a released final album. GRAMMY.com

When did Bobby Womack die, and what was the cause?

Womack died on June 27, 2014, aged 70. The contemporaneous GRAMMY report explicitly said no cause had been announced, while the Los Angeles Times reported that a representative confirmed his death without providing further details. GRAMMY.com Los Angeles Times

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Obituaries mentioned health problems, but those reports do not establish what caused his death. The responsible answer to “How did Bobby Womack die?” is that the cause was not publicly stated in the contemporaneous reports cited here.

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Where to begin listening

For a sense of his changing sound, start with a Valentinos recording such as “It’s All Over Now,” then explore the 1970s solo songs and albums. For a late-career example, The Bravest Man in the Universe brings Womack together with Damon Albarn. In an interview with TIME a few months before his death, Womack said, “The only way you can create is you gotta be free,” adding, “That’s what you’ve gotta do to be in this business. You’ve got to be on fire.” TIME

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