Friday, March 29, 2024

Percy Sledge, Singer of “When a Man Loves A Woman,” Dies of Liver Cancer at 73

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Percy Sledge has passed away at age 73. The great singer of “When a Man Loves a Woman” was suffering from liver cancer for some time according to sources. “When a Man Loves a Woman” was the First gold record ever earned by Atlantic Records, ushering in the era of Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and so many more.

Thanks to Seymour Stein, Percy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame several years ago. Small in height Percy was large in stature, a great singer who had a lot of R&B chart hits and songs covered by others apart from “When a Man Loves A Woman.”

One of my favorite Percy Sledge songs is “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road”

Of course, Percy was not a one hit wonder. “Warm and Tender Love” rode up the charts right behind “When A Man”:

But of course he’ll always be identified with this song, which Michael Bolton has kept alive as part of his shtick. But it was Percy’s song, twice a hit in the UK and one of the greatest classics of all time. Percy Sledge was a sweet man, and a great artist.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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