The music world lost an icon when Ray Charles passed away on June 10, 2004, at the age of 73. At the time, Charles had established himself as a legend with hits like “Hit the Road Jack,” “Unchain My Heart,” One Mint Julep” and countless others.
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Charles passed away after a battle with liver failure at his home in Los Angeles. At the time, he was still active in music and was planning to go on tour. But the complications he endured from hip surgery he had in 2003 made it difficult to perform. “Yes, I’m going to keep touring, keep performing, it’s in my blood,” Charles told the New York Times in 2004 months before his death. “I’m like Count Basie or Duke Ellington. Until the good Lord calls my number, that’s what I’m going to do…I ain’t going to live forever. I got enough sense to know that. I also know it’s not a question of how long I live, but it’s a question of how well I live.”
It was clear Charles had a life well lived, as his public funeral was fit for a king. One week after his death, some of music’s biggest names gathered at the historic First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles on June 18, with B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Glen Campbell, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis paying musical homage to him.
Charles’ legacy lived on in the music. In August 2004, Charles’ final album, Genius Loves Company, was released posthumously. It features collaborations with artists across genres performing famous songs from Charles’ catalog, as well as their own. Elton John, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Gladys Knight, and Natalie Cole are among the diverse range of artists who dueted with Charles on such songs as “Here We Go Again,” John’s hit “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word,” “Fever,” “Heaven Help Us All” and more. Charles’ cover of “Over the Rainbow” featuring Johnny Mathis, the iconic song from The Wizard of Oz, was played at his funeral.
Genius topped the Billboard 200 and cleaned up nicely at the Grammy Awards in 2005, winning a total of five awards, including the coveted Album of the Year. It also won for Record of the Year, Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Gospel Performance.
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records
