Jazz and R&B singer Marlena Shaw, known for the widely sampled « California Soul, » died Friday. She was 81.
The jazz and R&B vocalist Marlena Shaw, whose “California Soul” has become a staple element of ads and hip-hop songs, has died. She was 81.
Shaw’s daughter, Marla Bradshaw, announced the legendary singer’s death in a Facebook video posted Friday.
“It is with a very heavy heart that for myself and my family, I announce that our beloved mother, your beloved icon and artist, Marlena Shaw, has passed away today at 12:03. She was peaceful; we were at peace,” Bradshaw said in the video.
“I know that you just saw posts of [a] birthday celebration just as soon as yesterday. And my twin sister and I were very grateful, and our family, that she was here in celebration for that. Obviously, I’m not going to go into too many details, but [to] her fans … she is at peace. She is in Heaven. I do know that.”
Shaw’s 1969 “California Soul” will be instantly recognizable to many today for its use in television ads (such as for Dockers, KFC and Dodge Ram trucks) and sampling in hip-hop songs.
