Blues and R&B great Etta James passed away in the early morning hours of Friday, January 20, 2012.
James, an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was equally at home singing unadulterated blues, searing R&B and sophisticated jazz. Her biggest hit, ‘At Last,’ has been enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Many younger fans were captured through Beyonce’s portrayal of the legendary songstress in “Cadillac Records.”
James, 73, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2010, had been seriously ill for the last year.She died of complications from her long-term battle with the disease.
Her two sons, Donto and Sametto James were by their mother’s side Friday morning when she passed away at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside.
“We find it a blessing that me and my brother were there to help here though this, to have a chance to tell her how we felt about her; to hold her and see her,” said her oldest son, Donto James, 42, of Moreno Valley.
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