Ben E King Dies at 76

Ben E King Dies at 76

Ben E King dies at age 76. He is an R&B legend and will be missed by many. The singer is best known for his song Stand By Me which was inspired by the woman he married. The song Stand By Me has been on the US Billboard 100 seven times. It is also widely used in wedding celebrations.

It has been confirmed that he died of natural causes on Thursday. He rose to fame in the 1950s and still continued to do tours even doing a tour in the UK in 2013. Gary US Bonds, a fellow musician and friend wrote on Facebook after hearing the news.

He was active in charity as he had his own charitable foundation called the Stand By Me Foundation that was "established for the purpose of generating funds for deserving youths working to further their education and to assist various civic organizations and associations in their efforts to improve the quality of life of their constituents".

Ben E King started his career with a group called the Five Crowns and had his first R&B hit with "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He then went on to leave the group after various hits and had various solo hits with song such as "Spanish Harlem" (1961) and "Stand By Me". Some of his other well known songs include "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", "Amor", "Seven Letters", "How Can I Forget", "On The Horizon", "'Young Boy Blues", "First Taste Of Love", "Here Comes The Night", "Ecstasy" and "That's When It Hurts". His songs have places well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and are still popular today.

It can easily said that he will be missed but he has left a legacy that has already passed the test of time. All the best to his family who succeed him.

To those who haven't heard Stand By Me :