Legendary New Orleans songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint passed away on the morning of Nov. 10. He was 77.
Toussaint may not be as instantly recognizable as other acts to come out of his hometown of New Orleans, but he was easily as important and influential. His work as a producer and songwriter put him behind hits by everyone from Paul McCartney and Joe Cocker to Aaron Neville and Ernie K-Doe.
His songs like “Mother-in-Law,” “Working in the Coal Mine,” and “Get Out of My Life, Woman” earned him an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
“His greatest contribution was in not allowing the city’s old-school R&B traditions to die out, but by keeping pace with developments in the rapidly evolving worlds of soul and funk. In addition, he brought the New Orleans sound to the national stage,” the Hall proclaimed upon his induction.
Toussaint was also awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012. At the time, Obama praised Toussaint for continuing to record and release New Orleans music after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his longtime studio.
“Allen has devoted his musical talent to lifting up and building up a city. And today, he’s taking the stage all over the world, with all kinds of incredible talent, doing everything he can to revive the legendary soul of the Big Easy,” Obama said.
Though he is much more well-known for his work as a writer and producer, Toussaint had taken to touring as a solo artist more and more after Hurricane Katrina forced him to leave New Orleans in 2005.
Toussaint was in the midst of a European tour and had just performed a show in Madrid on the evening of Nov. 9. He suffered a heart attack in his Madrid hotel room on Nov. 10 and was revived once by paramedics, according to reports by the Times-Picayune. However, he stopped breathing during his ambulance ride and was unable to be revived.
