Soulman Isaac, 65, dies on a treadmill
Soul legend Isaac Hayes died yesterday after his wife found him slumped beside a still-running treadmill. The musician, 65, who wrote the Oscar-winning theme tune to cult 1971 movie Shaft, is believed to have suffered a heart attack.
Wife Adjowa discovered him unconscious by the exercise machine at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, and he was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Cops said no foul play is suspected.
The flamboyant, deep-voiced performer also supplied the voice of soul-singing school cafeteria worker Chef in the hit cartoon South Park.
In 1998 Chef released a song called Chocolate Salty Balls, which reached No1 in the UK.
However Hayes left the series in 2006 because he objected to the show’s “ridicule” of the Church of Scientology, to which he belonged.
The dad of 12 — who married four times — was a longtime songwriter and arranger for Stax Records in Memphis.
He played in the studio’s backup band and crafted tunes for artists such as Otis Redding in the 1960s.
He released his first solo album in 1967. His 1969 album Hot Buttered Soul is regarded as one of the greatest ever soul records.
He also co-wrote classic song Soul Man. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
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