Soul/gospel/R&B/blues legend and Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame member Solomon Burke died this morning at age 70 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, immediately after getting off the plane that carried him in a very long non-stop flight from Los Angeles.
His cause of death hasn’t been identified yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a blood clot (caused by sitting still for so many hours) was a factor. Experts say it’s a good idea to get up every once in awhile and just walk around a bit during a flight, but not enough of us do that, or do it frequently enough. (There’s also some subtle exercises, like clenching and relaxing various muscles in the legs and so forth, that one can do while sitting in one’s seat; but I suppose there’s a fear of being found out and considered strange associated with that, too.) Link to a 2007 NYT article on the link between long flights and deep-vein thrombosis.
The King of Rock and Soul. Thanks for all the great music.
Legendary performer and an artists’ artist. RIP, Mr. Burke.
He’s also one of those singers that everyone knows even if they don’t realize they know him. Two of his hits were “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” covered famously by The Blues Brothers in their eponymous movie, and “Cry to Me,” featured in Dirty Dancing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pouIFiaIig&feature=related - the scene in Dirty Dancing.
I got to see Solomon Burke open for Van Morrison a few years back in NYC and Boston, and then saw Burke again last year in New Orleans—That man had such a depth of soul, and was absolutely revered among his fellow musicians, even if he never recieved the acclaim he was due from the general public.
As anyone who ever heard Jerry Garcia’s version of “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” can attest, that song is impossible to sit still to—A dance classic for the ages…
RIP Brother Burke—you will not be forgotten.