Soul legend Bobby Womack has died at the age of 70, his publicist at XL Recordings has confirmed to HitFix.
Womack, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 by The Rolling Stones Ron Wood, was only 16 when he dropped out of school at the urging of mentor Sam Cooke and began recording with his brothers under the name the Valentinos. (Womack later went on to marry and divorce Cooke's widow, Barbra.)
The Valentinos first hit, “Lookin' for a Love,” produced by Cooke, reached No. 8 on Billboard's R&B chart. Its second hit, “It”s All Over Now,” co-written by Womack, later became the Rolling Stones” second Top 40 hit in the U.S.
Womack continued on as a solo artist, charting 36 songs between 1970 and 1990, including “That”s the Way I Feel About Cha,” “Woman”s Gotta Have It,”” and “If You Think You”re Lonely Now.”
He also wrote songs recorded by a number of artists, including Wilson Pickett and George Benson. An accomplished guitarist, he also played on sessions for everyone from Aretha Franklin to Ray Charles and Dusty Springfield.
In 2012, Womack released “The Bravest Man in the Universe,” his first album since 1994's “Resurrection.” Revered in England, Womack, who played the Glastonbury Festival in 2013, had worked with Blur's Damon Albarn on the set in London and New York. The album, which won the UK's Q Award for best album in 2012, was re-released June 12 with additional material. Albarn had worked previously with Womack on Albarn's side project, The Gorillaz' 2010 album, “Plastic Beach.” Womack appears on the album's hit, “Stylo.”
Womack has been on the road, playing both the New Orleans Jazz Festival in May and Bonnaroo, earlier this month. He was slated to start a European tour July 19 in Amsterdam.
The cause of death has not been disclosed. Womack, a diabetic, had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2012.
An updated, more extensive obit will be published shortly