Three time Grammy winner singer Etta James has died at age 73 from complications of leukaemia. Singer died at a hospital in Riverside, California east of Los Angeles said her manager and friend of some 30 years, Lupe De Leon. Mr De Leon said “She passed away this morning. She was with her husband and her sons,” James was diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago and she had been in failing health for a number of years. Singer also suffered from diabetes, kidney problems and dementia. She was hospitalized late in 2011 because she was struggling to breathe. The singer saw numerous ups and downs in her career with personal life.

She struggled with obesity and heroin addiction, ran a hot cheque scheme and had troubled relationships with men. The three times Grammy winner was a key figure in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll and her signature song, the 1961 ballad At Last, proved her mastery of the blues. She sang with a mixture of power and pain that led veteran musical producer Jerry Wexler to call her “the greatest of all modern blues singers “. Singer guitarist Bonnie Raitt wrote ‘Etta James is simply one of the best singers I’ve ever heard,’ in Rolling Stone magazine. James’ last album ‘The Dreamer’ was released in 2011. She spent the latter part of her life at home in California.

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