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Jerry Butler, the beloved Chicago soul singer, producer and, later, politician who began his career in the late 1950 singing alongside childhood friend Curtis Mayfield in the Impressions, has died at 85. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Butler died on Thursday night (Feb. 20) of undisclosed causes after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
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Motown legend Smokey Robinson told the Sun-Times that Butler was “one of the great voices of our time,” lauding the singer who the Miracles vocalist had admired since he was a young man listening to the Impressions’ 1958 Billboard Hot 100 No. 11 hit “For Your Precious Love.”
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Working alongside singer/guitarist Mayfield — whom he’d met as a teenager singing in a church choir — Butler began his career in the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers group before joining the Roosters, who in short order became known as The Impressions. The group struck gold off the bat with the Butler co-written “For Your Precious Love,” a slow-burning, yearning song inspired by a poem Butler wrote in high school — credited to Jerry Butler & the Impressions — that melded the friends’ church-based gospel roots with a stirring soul sound.
The single, released by Vee-Jay Records and ranked in 2003 as the No. 335 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, would be one of only two Butler recorded with the group, followed up by that same year’s No. 29 Billboard R&B chart hit “Come Back My Love.” Tensions in the group over Butler’s first-billing status led to the singer going out on his own, though his first solo hit was a reunion with Mayfield on the 1960 Vee-Jay co-write “He Will Break Your Heart.” That song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
While Mayfield soon became a star in his own right thanks to his funky soul soundtrack to the 1972 blaxploitation film Superfly and such civil rights anthems as “People Get Ready,” Butler embarked on run of hits in the 1960s and 70s that included 38 career Hot 100 entries — including three top 10s — as well as 53 songs on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
In 1961, Butler’s impressive vocal range and always fresh attire earned him the career-long nickname “The Iceman” from WDAS Philadelphia DJ George Woods, bestowed on the singer after he kept his cool and continued to sing after the PA system burned out on him at a Philly show.
He scored another top 10 hit in 1964 with the hopelessly-in-love ballad “Let It Be Me,” a collaboration with singer Betty Everett on the Everly Brothers-written song that appeared on their joint Delicious Together album and peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100. Butler’s third top 10 song came in 1969 with the inspirational soul stirrer “Only the Strong Survive,” one of the singer’s collaborations with the hit songwriting team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The song appeared on his The Ice Man Cometh album and served as his highest-ever charting single after reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100, as well as spending two weeks at the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (then called the Billboard Black Singles Chart).
One of his most enduring hits, the song would later be covered by, among others, Elvis, Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen, who also made it the title of his 2022 R&B/soul covers solo album.
Gamble and Huff released a joint statement honoring their friend on Friday, saying, “We deeply and sincerely mourn the loss of our dear and longtime friend the great Jerry Butler, aka ‘The Iceman,’ for his cool, smooth vocals and demeanor,” they wrote. “Our friendship with Jerry goes back for more than 60 years both as an iconic artist and music collaborator with hit songs such as ‘Only the Strong Survive,’ ‘Western Union Man,’ ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and many more. We will really miss Jerry. He was a one of a kind music legend!”
Butler, whose vocals often climbed from a deep baritone to a crystal falsetto, would land Hot 100 hits in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, last charting on the singles tally in 1977 with “I Wanna Do It To You,” which peaked at No. 51.
His 53 career entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart included 18 top 10s and four No. 1s, including “He Will Break Your Heart,” “Let It Be Me,” 1968’s “Hey, Western Union Man” and “Only the Strong Survive.” He last appeared on that chart in 1982 with the No. 83 hit “No Love Without Changes.” The singer also co-write a 1965 hit for then climbing soul singer Otis Redding, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” one of Redding’s most beloved songs, which has been covered over the years by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner and country singer Barbara Mandrell.
In addition, Butler had 15 career entires on the Billboard 200 album chart, with The Ice Man Cometh representing his peak at No. 29, followed by 1969’s Ice On Ice (No. 41) and 1977’s Thelma & Jerry with Thelma Houston topping out at No. 53.
Butler was born in Sunflower, MS on Dec. 8, 1939 and moved to Chicago at age three, where he grew up in the since-demolished Cabrini-Green housing projects. With is biggest music years behind him by the early 1980s, Butler — who had earlier set up his own short-lived record label, Memphis Records and production company — pivoted to running a Chicago beer distributorship. He entered politics a few years later after being inspired by the city’s first Black Mayor, Harold Washington. Former Black Panther and longtime Chicago alderman Bobby Rush encouraged Butler to run for the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1985, where the singer served three four-year terms before his retirement from public office in 2018.
The singer kept performing live into the early 2000s and hosted oldies R&B specials (Doo Wop 50, Rock Rhythm and Doo Wop) for PBS, as well as serving as the chairman of the board for the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Impressions.
Over the years, his songs were sampled by a number of hip-hop acts, including Method Man on his 1994 Tical single “Bring the Pain” (which used bits of 1974’s “I’m Your Mechanical Man”), as well as Missy Elliott’s song of the same name from 2002. Snoop Dogg tapped Butler’s 1972 song “I Need You” for his 2006 Blue Carpet Treatment song “Think About It.”
Butler published his autobiography, Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor, in 2000.
Check out some of Butler’s classics below.
Rick Buckler, a longtime rocker best known as the drummer for legendary band The Jam, has died. He was 69 years old. The news of his death was announced on X via a heartfelt message from his bandmate, Paul Weller. “I’m shocked and saddened by Rick’s passing. I’m thinking back to us all rehearsing in […]
Mexican singer and songwriter Paquita la del Barrio, known for denouncing macho culture and attitudes in rancheras and boleros like “Tres Veces Te Engañé,” “Rata De Dos Patas” and “Las Rodilleras,” has died, it was announced on her Instagram account. She was 77.
“With deep pain and sadness, we confirm the sensitive passing of our beloved ‘Paquita la del Barrio’ at her home in Veracruz, [Mexico] being a unique and irreplaceable artist, who will leave an indelible mark in the hearts of all who knew her and enjoyed her music,” says a statement posted on Monday (Feb. 17). “In this moment of great pain, we respectfully ask all media and the public to give us space and understanding so that her family can experience their mourning in privacy and peace.”
A representative of the artist in Mexico informed Billboard Español that she died of a heart attack while she was sleeping.
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With a career spanning over five decades, Paquita la del Barrio was an idol in popular music. In 2011, she received the Billboard Regional Mexican Music Award “La Voz,” and 10 years later, in 2021, she was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards for her exceptional career.
Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Francisca Viveros Barradas (her real name) discovered her powerful voice as a child while singing at school festivals. In the 1970s, she formed the duo Las Golondrinas with her sister Viola, and in 1984, she released her debut album, El Barrio de los Faroles, as Paquita la del Barrio.
Since then, she recorded over 30 albums, which sold more than 30 million copies, with hits that also include “Las Mujeres Mandan,” “La Última Parada,” “Me Saludas a la Tuya,” “Soltero Maduro, Chiquito” and “Hombres Malvados,” among others.
On the Billboard charts, she had eight entried on Top Latin Albums, two songs on Regional Mexican Airplay (“Piérdeme el Respeto” and “Si Yo Fuera Varón”) and one (“Pobre Pistolita”) on Tropical Airplay.
She was married twice, to Miguel Gerardo and Alfonso Martínez, and had three children.
Gene ‘Groove’ Allen, a rapper and actor who was known for his role in rap trio Groove B. Chill, died on Wednesday (Feb. 12). He was 62 years old, according to TMZ, who first reported the news. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Long Island, New […]
Horst Weidenmueller, the founder of label and music company !K7, has died at age 60.
A statement from !K7 provided to Billboard says his death followed “a serious illness” but did not elaborate on the specifics.
Born in the Black Forest region of Germany, Weidenmueller moved to Berlin and founded !K7 in 1985, when he was 21 years old. !K7 began as a music-video production company, later launching the DJ-Kicks mix series that would go on to become an influential and globally known platform for a wide range of DJs and producers.
!K7 began releasing artist albums in 1996, putting forth music from across the wide electronic spectrum. The company now has offices in Berlin, London and New York, with its label group including the in-house labels !K7, AUS, 7K!, Soul Bank and Strut Records.
In 2024, Weidenmueller was recognized with the prestigious IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award for his influential work in the European independent music sector, an award that coincided with the 40th anniversary of !K7 Music.
The award acknowledged Weidenmüller’s advocacy for sustainability and inclusion in the music industry. As a long-time IMPALA board member and the founder of its Sustainability Task Force, he spearheaded the development of a bespoke carbon calculator for labels, in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle, Merlin and Murmur. He also helped establish IMPALA’s Business Case for Sustainability, emphasizing the financial benefits of environmentally conscious practices.
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The statement from !K7 continues that “beyond his role at !K7, Horst was a passionate advocate for the independent music community. As a long-standing board member of Merlin and IMPALA Independent Music Companies Association, he played a vital role in strengthening and championing the independent sector on a global scale. His contributions have left a lasting impact on the industry and will not be forgotten.“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched. We will honour his memory by carrying forward the work and values he instilled in us. !K7 remains committed to continuing his vision with the same passion and integrity that he embodied.”
The company’s statement adds, “We kindly ask to respect his family’s privacy at this time.”
Irv Gotti — who co-founded the hitmaking Murder Inc. Records label and helped make early 2000s superstars out of Ja Rule and Ashanti — has died after suffering a stroke, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. He was 54 years old. Alongside brother Chris, Irv Gotti (born Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) launched Murder Inc. in 1998 as an […]
2025 got off to a rough start in the music world, with two music greats passing away on the first day of the new year. Argentine artist and composer Leo Dan — known for his romantic tracks such as“Cómo Te Extraño Mi Amor,” “Mary Es Mi Amor” and “Pídeme La Luna” — died at age […]
Marianne Faithfull, British singer, songwriter, actress and iconic figure of the 1960s, has died. She was 78 years old.“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” a statement shared to BBC reads. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”
A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
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Faithfull was born in the Hampstead area of North London, the daughter of an Austrian aristocrat and a British intelligence officer. Starting a career as a folk singer in the early ’60s, she made the acquaintance of Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, who introduced her to the band’s circle, and offered her “As Tears Go By,” a composition co-penned by the band’s Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The sparse, acoustic ballad hit the top 10 in the U.K. in 1964, and also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 22.
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“As Tears Go By” made Faithfull a star, and further hits followed the next year: “Come and Stay With Me,” “This Little Bird” and “Summer Nights,” all of which hit the U.K. top 10 and the Hot 100 top 40. Faithfull also became a British tabloid fixture, particularly after she began an affair with Jagger in 1966, ultimately leaving her first husband John Dunbar to live wth him. Early the next year, she made headlines for being at the scene of a drug bust at Richards’ house, dressed only in a fur rug at the time of the arrest.
The hits dried up for Faithfull in the late ’60s, but she continued to be a pop/rock presence, singing backing vocals on The Beatles’ No. 2 hit “Yellow Submarine” and co-writing the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers classic drug ballad “Sister Morphine.” However, her drug addiction ended up consuming much of what should have been her prime years, particularly after she split with Jagger and lost custody of her son Nicholas (with first husband Dunbar) in 1970. After 1967’s Love in a Mist album — her last on Decca Records — she would not release another album until 1976.
Faithfull would make her first and most resounding comeback in 1979, with the new wave and disco-influenced Broken English set. The singer/songwriter’s voice had transformed into something lower and more weathered with her drug usage, and the set drew rave reviews for its modern sounds and brittle energy. Substance abuse sapped the momentum the Grammy-nominated set earned Faithfull’s career, until a 1987 reinvention as a jazz and blues singer on her Strange Weather set.
She was a sporadic presence in the mainstream for the rest of the 20th century, with high-profile guest roles on Roger Waters of Pink Floyd’s 1990 live tour of his band’s best-selling The Wall set, and as a featured vocalist on Metallica’s 1997 single “The Memory Remains.” She experienced another critical resurgence in the early 21st century with 2002’s Kissin Time set — including songs written by popular alt-rock figures Beck, Blur and Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins — and released further albums of originals and covers for the next two decades, most recently with 2018’s Negative Capability, her highest-charting set on the U.K. albums chart since 1965, and 2021’s She Walks in Beauty alongside Australian composer Warren Ellis.
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Outside of her recording career, Faithfull also had a successful run as an actress, appearing in theatrical roles on the stage, in television and in film. She holds the distinction of being the first person to ever say the word “f–k” in a mainstream movie, doing so in the 1967 Michael Winner film I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname, and had small 21st century rules in the hit British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (as God), and in the Sofia Coppola-directed biopic Marie Antoinette (as Empress Maria Theresa). For her starring role in 2007’s Irina Palm, as a 60-year-old widow who becomes a sex worker out of necessity, she was nominated for a European Film Award for best actress.
Faithfull also endures as one of the defining popular figures of ’60s Swinging London, iconic for her voice and her fashion, and for being a muse to many of the musicians in her orbit, primarily of course The Rolling Stones. She was ranked 25th in VH1’s 1999 list of the Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2009, she was named icon of the year at the U.K.-based Q Awards. “‘I’m glad you can hear the experience in my voice,” she told Time Out New York in 2016. “I should think so, after 50 years.”
Two days after the death of DJ Unk, the Atlanta rapper behind the 2006 snap hit “Walk It Out,” his wife has revealed the cause of his passing.
Sherkita Long-Platt, DJ Unk’s widow, confirmed on Friday (Jan. 24) that the rapper had died at the age of 43. In a heartfelt Facebook post, she wrote, “Please respect me and my family. I just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father. Our life will never be the same. I LOVE YOU ANTHONY FOREVER,” without disclosing the cause of death.
On Sunday (Jan. 26), Long-Platt shared with TMZ that her husband passed away in his sleep after suffering a cardiac arrest. She also addressed rumors circulating about DJ Unk’s possible involvement with substance abuse, clarifying that he had not struggled with drugs.
TMZ reports that a candlelight vigil for DJ Unk is planned for Sunday evening in his Atlanta neighborhood.
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Born Anthony Leonard Platt, DJ Unk was part of the Southern Style DJs before signing with Big Oomp Records in 2000. He made his debut with the single “Walk It Out” in August 2006, months ahead of his first album, Beat’n Down Yo Block!, which reached No. 21 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “Walk It Out” peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on both Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
“I’m glad that it’s good energy and good vibes in the song ’cause they use it as far as work out dances, they use it in church, they use it for anything,” DJ Unk told Billboard at the 2023 BET Awards.
He also expressed his gratitude for André 3000’s verse on the remix of “Walk It Out,” which featured OutKast and Jim Jones. “I still can’t believe that to this day,” he said. “I never dreamed that he would get on a record like that because he’s so powerful as far as hip-hop and music and everything, so it’s a blessing. That was a dream come true. It was like doing a song with Michael Jackson.”
DJ Unk’s second single, “2Step,” from Beat’n Down Yo Block!, reached No. 24 on the Hot 100 and landed in the top 10 on both Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The success of those tracks solidified DJ Unk as a leader of the snap subgenre of Southern hip-hop. His second album, 2econd Season, released in 2008, peaked at No. 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
More recently, GloRilla’s 2024 debut album, Glorious, features a sample of DJ Unk’s “Hold on Ho” from Beat’n Down Yo Block!
DJ Unk, the Atlanta rapper behind the 2006 snap smash “Walk It Out,” has died at age 43, his family shared on social media Friday (Jan. 24).
The cause of death has not been publicly revealed. His wife Sherkita Long-Platt wrote on Facebook, “Please respect me and my family. I just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father. Our life will never be the same. I LOVE YOU ANTHONY FOREVER.”
Korey “Big Oomp” Roberson, who signed DJ Unk to his first label deal 25 years ago, confirmed his passing in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “DJ Unk was not just a legendary DJ, rapper, and producer, but a true cornerstone of our label, and the imprint that he left globally will be cherished forever,” he wrote, which was also shared on Big Oomp Records’ Instagram account. “Hit songs such as ‘Walk It Out’ and ‘2 Step’ have left an indelible mark on the industry, and his legacy will continue to inspire artists, DJs, and fans alike for years to come. His energy, creativity, and commitment to the craft will never be forgotten.”
Born Anthony Leonard Platt, he joined the DJ crew, the Southern Style DJs, before signing to Big Oomp Records in 2000. DJ Unk released his debut single “Walk It Out” in August 2006, months ahead of his debut album Beat’n Down Yo Block! that reached No. 21 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. “Walk It Out” hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
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“I’m glad that it’s good energy and good vibes in the song ’cause they use it as far as work out dances, they use it in church, they use it for anything,” he told Billboard while on the red carpet of the 2023 BET Awards. He also praised André 3000’s verse on the “Walk It Out” remix, featuring OutKast and Jim Jones. “I still can’t believe that to this day,” he said. “I never dreamed that he would get on a record like that because he’s so powerful as far as hip-hop and music and everything, so it’s a blessing. That was a dream come true. It was like doing a song with Michael Jackson.”
“2Step,” the second single from Beat’n Down Yo Block!, reached No. 24 on the Hot 100 and hit the top 10 of Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. These songs solidified DJ Unk as a leader of the snap subgenre of Southern hip-hop. He released his sophomore album 2econd Season in 2008, which peaked at No. 15 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
GloRilla’s “Hollon” single from her 2024 debut album Glorious samples DJ Unk’s “Hold On Ho” from Beat’n Down Yo Block!.