Music Legend Etta James Passes Away at 73

According to published reports music legend Etta James, who was best known for singing "At Last," passed away. She was 73 years old.

For over half a century, Etta James all but defined the role of the quintessential rhythm & blues vocalist. She transcended all musical categories and styles with a recording career that spaned more than five decades. On October 25, 2011, Etta James released The Dreamer, her new album through Verve Forecast. This monumental release not only marked her first album in five years, but was also her final studio album before she retired, capping off an incredible fifty-year recording career. 

The great Etta James has been a musical force and a major hit-maker since the '50s earning numerous accolades including six Grammy Awards®, among them the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, a Best Jazz Vocal Performance and two Hall of Fame Awards. In 1993, James was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2001 she was inducted by both the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame. She also is immortalized in Hollywood with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Throughout her career, James created a remarkably deep and diverse catalog of R&B, blues, soul, pop and jazz recordings. James crossed all musical genres and styles and has been cited as a major influence by a wide range of singers from Janis Joplin to Irma Thomas to Christina Aguilera and Adele.