Famed balladeer and 2001 Blues Hall of Fame inductee Etta James passed away this morning, just five days shy of her seventy-fourth birthday. The singer, who is revered for her husky timbre and ample tastes, mixed gospel, jazz, and R&B styles, and had a vocal range of several octaves and change. James cut her first commercially successful singles — including “The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry)” — in 1955. Her copious discography includes 28 studio albums and 58 singles. James, who suffered from drug addiction through part of her career, died of complications associated with leukemia. She is survived by her two sons, Donto and Sametto, and will be mourned by music lovers throughout the world. </p
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