Soul legend Isaac Hayes dies

(CNN) -- Soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died, sheriff's officials in Memphis, Tennessee, reported Sunday.



Singer Issac Hayes seen performing in the U.K. last year. Hayes was found dead Sunday at age 65.

Relatives found Hayes, 65, unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill, said Steve Shular, a spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department.

Paramedics attempted to revive him and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m., the sheriff's department said.

No foul play is suspected, the agency said in a written statement.

Hayes was a longtime songwriter and arranger for Stax Records in Memphis, playing in the studio's backup band and crafting tunes for artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave in the 1960s. See photos of singer Isaac Hayes »

He released his first solo album in 1967, and his 1969 follow-up, "Hot Buttered Soul," became a platinum hit.

In 1971, the theme from "Shaft" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and won an Academy Award for best original theme song. The song and the movie score also won Grammy awards for best original score and movie theme.

Hayes won a third Grammy for pop instrumental performance with the title track to his 1972 "Black Moses" album.

From the late 1990s through 2006, Hayes provided the voice of "Chef" for Comedy Central's raunchy animated series "South Park," as well as numerous songs.

The role introduced him to a new generation of fans, but he left after the show lampooned his own religion, the Church of Scientology.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Okay... Bernie Mac died yesterday... Isaac Hayes died today. Who's next? Sheesh. They always come in three's (deaths, that is).

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lawless wrote:

Okay... Bernie Mac died yesterday... Isaac Hayes died today. Who's next? Sheesh. They always come in three's (deaths, that is).

Perhaps Estelle Getty was the first? Though they make a funny trio, it does seem to work out...

I think it's kind of sad that all the news I've seen refers to him mainly as "the voice of Chef from South Park". Is that really what he's most famous for?
Wouldn't he rather be remembered for his music than a voice-over on a smutty animated show?

Unless Estelle Getty used to be a black man, I don't see any connection between the 3.

Smutty? Is that the word I chose? OK then ...

How sad that he passed. I think he was mentioned as the voice of Chef because his work in the 70's is a long time ago.

Turns out that his reps incorrectly reported that sarcoidosis did not contribute to his death. His sister-in-law said:

"He had sarcoidosis, but it was in remission. But because he had it, his immune system was compromised. He had an infection… He was on a new medication that suppresses the immune system, and that's where the pneumonia came from."

Pneumonia again, eh?

gaboman wrote:

Pneumonia again, eh?

Seems to be some sort of epidemic, eh?

I thought Hayes died from a stroke.

Looked it up but couldn't find an exact cause of death. Doesn't seem to be Sarcoidosis and pneumonia though. That was Bernie Mac.


Everybody point and laugh at schmiggens (and me for going along with it, I guess...).

Damn it - I meant to post that in the Bernie Mac thread. Go ahead, point and laugh.

Yes, Isaac Hayes has been confirmed as a stroke.