American musician Allen Toussaint, has died of a heart attack. He was 77. He was known for songs like “Working In The Coalmine” and “Southern Nights”. The influential R&B figure passed away following a concert he performed in Spain. Rescue workers were called to Toussaint’s hotel early on November 10 morning and managed to revive him after he suffered a heart attack. But Toussaint stopped breathing during the ambulance ride to a hospital, and efforts to revive him again were unsuccessful. Toussaint performed November 9 night at Madrid’s Lara Theater. He was a legend in the music world.
Earlier Life:-
- The pianist-songwriter was born in New Orleans and went on to become one of the city’s most celebrated performers.
- He worked as a producer for the New Orleans-based Minit Records in 1960 before being drafted in the Army for two years.
- He later created his own recording studio in 1973 with fellow songwriter Marshall Sehorn, called Sea-Saint Studio.
- There he worked with musicians including Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Patti LaBelle, the late Joe Cocker and Elvis Costello.
Awards and Honours:-
- Toussaint has hundreds of hits to his name and received the Recording Academy Trustees Award at the 2009 Grammy Awards.
- He penned the 1966 Lee Dorsey classic “Working in a Coal Mine” and produced Dr John’s 1973 hit “Right Place, Wrong Time” and 1975’s “Lady Marmalade” by the vocal trio Labelle.
- He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
- In 2013, the musician was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama at a ceremony in Washington.
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