Isaac Hayes Dies, Age 65

Isaac Hayes, award winning soul singer, died on Sunday August, 10th, 2008 at the age of 65. According to Steve Shular from the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, Hayes' wife, young son and wife's cousin returned home from the grocery store and found Hayes in a downstairs bedroom unconscious next to a still running treadmill. CPR was administered by a sherriff's deputy until paramedics arrived, but he was unresponsive. Isacc Hayes was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. No foul play is suspected.

Hayes was born in 1942. Living in poverty 40 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee in the town of Covington, he was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died. His father left when he was only 1 1/2. They moved to Memphis when he was 6. After a series of unsavory jobs like shoe shining and performing in crime ridden night clubs, Hayes was hired by Stax Records as a back up musician.

Since that time, Isaac Hayes made for himself a long successful performing career. His urban-contemporary music paved the way for disco and rap. A self-taught musician, Hayes began his professional career in 1967 when he released his first solo album. By 1969, his second album, "Hot Buttered Soul," went platinum. Hayes won his first two Grammy awards in 1971 with the theme song from "Shaft." 1n 1972, he won another for his album "Black Moses." More recently, Hayes was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" and the voice of "Chef" on Comedy Central's "South Park" series. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Not only was Isaac Hayes a muscian, songwriter, voice actor, and inovator but also an actor. He appeared in quite a few movies including "It Could Happen to You," "Ninth Street," "Reindeer Games," and "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka."

Hayes had recently finished a movie, where he played himself, called "Soul Men" starring Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died on Saturday.

Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Assoicated Press on Sunday, "Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music...the expression...the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."