Leon Russell dies at 74

Leon Russell, the musician and songwriter who worked with artistes including Joe Cocker, George Harrison, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, died Sunday in Nashville at 74. His website quoted his wife, Jan Bridges, as saying that he died in his sleep. He had suffered a heart attack in July.

Russell performed at the Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison and Friends and toured with acts including Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Edgar Winter, the New Grass Revival, Willie Nelson, and Elton John. 

Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Russell had a career of more than 50 years playing southern boogie-inflected piano, writing songs, and producing. Among the hit songs he wrote were “Delta Lady”, recorded by Cocker, and “A Song for You”, recorded by Ray Charles, the Temptations, the Carpenters, Amy Winehouse, and Whitney Houston. He played piano on the Stones' “Get a Line on You”.

He was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2011.

Musicians quickly took to social media to express their condolences on Sunday. Elton John called Russell a “mentor” and “inspiration”.

Source: Variety