Tributes to soul legend Bobby Womack, dead at 70

The legendary American soul artist started out performing with his brothers in the 1950s and later wrote songs and played guitar for artists including The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett.

Bobby Womack, who influenced generations of musicians in a career that began in the 1950s. Michael Loccisano / Getty Images / AFP

The legendary American soul artist Bobby Womack, who influenced and wrote for generations of musicians, died on Friday at age 70, triggering a surge of tributes.

Womack wrote a string of R&B staples including Lookin' for A Love and It's all Over Now, which went to No 1 for The Rolling Stones.

The Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood was among the first to pay tribute to Womack, tweeting: “The man who could make you cry when he sang has brought tears to my eyes with his passing.”

“RIP to the ‘Soul Legend’ who sang from his soul,” posted the rapper MC Hammer.

Womack started out performing with his brothers in the 1950s in a band called The Valentinos. He also wrote songs and played guitar for artists such as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. Sonya Kolowrat, a spokeswoman for his label XL Recordings, confirmed his death, but said she had no further details. Womack’s main home is listed as Los ­Angeles.

Womack, who was credited with influencing generations of acts, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

He struggled with drugs and health problems for decades, but released a comeback album, The Bravest Man in the Universe, in 2012, his first record in more than a decade.

Although he had long had health woes, he was due to tour Europe next month — his website listed shows in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Britain in the second half of July and start of August.

Womack, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to a musical family, also made an appearance on Plastic Beach, a 2010 album by the British Blur veteran Damon Albarn's virtual band Gorillaz.

That fuelled his comeback: Albarn co-produced The Bravest Man in the Universe, which was widely critically praised.

When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he said: “My very first thought was I wish I could call Sam Cooke and share this moment with him.

"This is just about as exciting to me as being able to see Barack Obama become the first black President of the United States of America!" he said, according to Rolling Stone magazine, which first broke the news of Womack's death.