BREAKING: Bill Withers Passed Away!

Legendary soul and jazz singer Bill Withers passed away.

No one is safe from the coronavirus.

Legendary jazz and soul singer Bill Withers passed away at the age of 81 from heart complications and it's not confirmed yet but it may have something to due with COVID-19.

The three time Grammy winner left the music scene in the mid-1980s but left us some of the best songs to get through the coronavirus pandemic.

"Lean on Me" and "Lovely Day" are some of his best hits. His single "Just The Two Of Us" with Grover Washington, Jr. is also well-known hit.

Listen the Essential Bill Withers, here.



His death comes as the public has drawn inspiration from the pandemic. Healthcare workers, first responders and choirs are singing Withers as they are getting through this pandemic.

Over 10,000 people were killed by the COVID-19. There are over 600,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other," the family said in a statement. "As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to their loved ones."

"Lean on Me," a paeon to friendship, was performed at the inaugurations of both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me" are among Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Withers was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia. He was an active musician from 1963 to 1985.

Bill Withers was the Black everyman.

Withers, the youngest of six children, was born in a coal mining town. He was born with a sutter and said that he had trouble trying to fit in. He grew up in the city of Beckley. His father died at age 13.

He would provide for the family by enlisting the U.S. Navy at the age of 18. He served for nine years during the time he overcame his stuttering and began a career of singing and songwriting.

He left the Navy in 1965. Using the $250 he received from selling his furniture to IBM co-worker Ron Sierra, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a music career. He was working at Douglas Aircraft Corporation, while recording demo tapes with his own money, shopping around and performing in clubs at night. When he debuted the "Ain't No Sunshine," he refused to quit his job because he feared that the rock star life was minor and it wouldn't help him make a living.

His second studio album, Still Bill broke the barriers with the singles "Lean on Me" and "Use Me."

Before he retired from the music industry, he had eight albums, one studio album and numerous compilations of his greatest singles.

His death comes on the heels of many celebrities and everyone in the world dying from the coronavirus.