Lou Rawls, whose rich baritone brought romantic melodies to many people around the world, died Jan. 6 in Los Angeles of lung cancer. He was 72.
Rawls grew up modestly in the Bronzeville area of Chicago but became one of America’s most dynamic entertainers and humanitarians, raising nearly $200 million through his United Negro College Fund (UNCF) telethons, according to the Chicago Defender. Over five decades, he garnered 13 Grammy nominations (winning three awards), five gold albums, one platinum album and a gold single (the 1976 slow-dance groove ‘You’ll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine)’). Rawls refused to stick to one musical style, recording tunes in the jazz, R&B, pop and gospel genres.
However, although Rawls became known globally, he never forgot his Chicago roots. He became involved in numerous projects, including the beginning of the South Side’s Harold Washington Cultural Center.
In a bittersweet tribute to Rawls, the annual UNCF fundraiser he took part in last September was broadcast shortly after his death, MSNBC reported. ‘An Evening of Stars,’ a syndicated telethon honoring Stevie Wonder, showed Rawls as he performed twice and narrated the stories of students helped by the UNCF.
Rawls’ funeral, held on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles, drew a crowd of celebrity mourners, including Wonder, Joan Baez and Little Richard. According to E! Online, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led the memorial, calling Rawls ‘authentic, an original, [and] a source of light in dark places.’
In addition to his wife, Nina, he is survived by four children: Louanna Rawls, Lou Rawls Jr., Kendra Smith and Aiden Rawls.