Apr 14, 2015
By Bob Komsic
Percy Sledge, who went from part-time singer and hospital orderly to lasting fame with his aching heartfelt ballad and 1966 hit ”When a Man Loves a Woman,” has died.
Sledge, 73, died in a Louisiana hospice.
He had surgery for liver cancer in January last year but resumed touring soon after.
Sledge once said the inspiration for the song was a girlfriend who left him for a modeling career after he was laid off from a construction job the year before.
”When a Man Loves a Woman,” a favourite at weddings, was re-released after being featured in the 1987 film ”Platoon” and reached Number 2 in Britain.
Michael Bolton topped the charts in the 90s with a cover version and Rolling Stone magazine later ranked it Number 53 on its list of the greatest songs of all-time.
Sledge was honoured with the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Career Achievement Award in 1989 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
To learn about advertising opportunities with Zoomer Radio use the link below: