Bobby Caldwell, singer and songwriter of the hit ‘What You Won’t Do for Love’, has died at 71.

Bobby Caldwellsoulful R&B singer and songwriter who scored a major hit in 1978 with What you won’t do for love and the voice and musical style adored by generations of his fellow artists, has died, his wife said Wednesday, March 15.

said Mary Caldwell Associated Press that he died in her arms at her home in Great Meadows, New Jerseyon Tuesday March 14, after a long illness. He was 71 years old.

Smooth soul jam What you won’t do for love reached the number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and up to number 6 in the list at that time Popular soul singles. It became a long-running, career-defining hit for Caldwell, who also wrote the song.

The song has been covered by artists including Boyz II Men and Michael Bolton, and Tupac Shakur included it on his song do it for love, released posthumously. So far, the hit has seen an incredible resurgence on social media, seen on more than 184,000 reels and more than 5,000 clips on TikTok.

Other Caldwell songs have been sampled by hip-hop artists such as The Notorious BIG, Common, Lil Nas X and Chance the Rapper.

There are numerous stories, many of them shared on social media after his death, about listeners who they were shocked to learn that Caldwell was white, not black. Caldwell only appeared in the silhouette on the self-titled debut solo album on which he appears What you won’t do for love.

“Caldwell was the last chapter in a generation where record label executives wanted to hide their faces on record sleeves so that maybe their artist could have a chance,” he said. questlove On Instagram. “Thank you for your voice and gift #BobbyCaldwell,” Questlove wrote.

Chance the Rapper shared on Instagram a recording of a direct message he had with Caldwell last year when he asked to use his music. “I would be honored if you would show my song,” Caldwell wrote.

“You are a great inspiration for me and for many others”, I told him Opportunity. In the post, he said he had never been thanked for testing a song before and that he “hadn’t felt so broken by the death of a stranger in so long.”

Born in New York and raised in Miami, Caldwell was the son of singers who hosted the music variety television show called Super time. A multi-instrumentalist, he began performing professionally at the age of 17, and got his break playing guitar in Little Richard’s band in the early 1970s. In the mid-’70s, Caldwell played in various bar bands around Los Angeles before breaking through. get a solo record deal.

Caldwell would never have another hit that came close to his in importance What you won’t do for lovebut has released several acclaimed albums including the cat in the hat from the 1980s, in which he featured prominently on the cover in a fedora, and Continue from 1982, in which he was his own producer and played all the instruments. (AND)