[Deathwatch] Isaac Hayes, musician, 65

[Deathwatch Central]

Thanks to a long-time reader for a heads-up on this one!

Isaac Hayes dies at US home

American funk-soul legend and Academy Award-award winning musician
Isaac Hayes was found dead Sunday at his home in Memphis, Tennessee,
officials said. He was 65.

The talented singer, songwriter and composer, who won the Oscar in 1972
for best original song for the theme from "Shaft," was found
unresponsive at his house by family members, Shelby county sheriff's
spokesman Steve Shular told AFP.

Hayes was discovered at about 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) collapsed on the floor
of a bedroom in his home next to a treadmill that was still running, he
said.

"We don't believe there was any foul play," Shular said. "Based on the
statements by family members that Mr. Hayes had been treated of late
for a number of medical issues, we believe that led to his death today.
There are no plans for an autopsy."

Hayes suffered a stroke in early 2006.

Born August 20, 1942 in Covington, Tennessee, Hayes' humble beginnings
with his sharecropper family were never far from his mind. At the
height of fame, he bought an estate in East Memphis overlooking the
same cotton fields where he grew up.

He began singing in church at age five and in high school caught the
attention of a guidance counselor who persuaded him to enter a talent
show.

"When I finished, the house was on its feet, man, and I was a hit ...
So I started pursuing music big time," Hayes said on his official
website.

He was renowned for his characteristic baritone voice and mastery of
several instruments, including the saxophone and the piano.

After graduating high school in 1962 and winning seven college
scholarships for vocal music, Hayes turned down higher education to
launch his music with Stax Record, where he worked with some of Rhythm
and Blues biggest names at the time, including Sam & Dave, Otis Redding
and Booker T & the MG's.

Hayes became Stax Record's rising star starting in 1966, and over the
next few years some 200 Hayes-David Porter compositions became
standards.

His career took off in 1969 with the landmark "Hot Buttered Soul"
album, which stayed on the pop chart for 81 weeks and forced the music
industry, for the first time, to conceive of soul music as an album art
form.

At the time of emerging Black Power and with the death of Martin Luther
King as a conscience building experience, Hayes transformed his image
into a revolutionary statement, dressing in black leather, draping his
bare chest in rows of gold chains and shaving his head completely.

After his career-defining soundtrack for the 1971 movie "Shaft," for
which Hayes picked up an Oscar, three Grammy awards, a Golden Globe
award, and an Edison award, Europe's highest music honor, Hayes began
acting in scores of movies and television series.

His guest star appearances included TV shows "The Rockford Files" and
"Miami Vice." He also appeared in feature films such as "Escape from
New York" and "Hustle & Flow."

Musically, he returned to the pop charts in 1986 with a new record deal
with Columbia and a new album, "U-Turn."

In 1997 he began voicing the role of Chef in the animated Comedy
Central cable ' series "South Park," but quit in 2006, apparently
because of a conflict with Scientology, a religion he followed since
the mid 1990s.

During a 1991 trip with Barry White to Africa, Hayes became fascinated
with his African roots, and began his philanthropic devotion to
spreading the message that education is the key to freedom.

He started the Isaac Hayes Foundation in 1993 and after being crowned
king of a small community in Ghana, he returned in 2000 to open an
education center that provides literacy, computer technology and health
courses.

In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
moved back home to Memphis, Tennessee, where he pursed business
interests that flowered into two restaurants and a best-selling
cookbook.

He wrote a self-help book, "The Way to Happiness," and summarized his
life experience in an interview: "At the end of the day, we are
responsible for our own lives.

"If anything happens to us, don't blame somebody else. Backtrack and
look at what you did to contribute to that. You also contribute to your
successes. Once you learn that, you're on your way."

Hayes was married four times and fathered 12 children, according to Us
magazine. He is survived by his current wife Adjowa, whom he married in
2005 and with whom he had one child.

Many thanks to Deathwatch Central for posting this obituary