Soul II Soul‘s Jazzie B has paid tribute to his friend Isaac Hayes, who died on Saturday (August 10) aged 65.
Hayes was found in his house in Memphis collapsed near a treadmill, then pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital. The cause of death is yet to be established.
Jazzie B told BBC News: “My biggest memory of Isaac is singing with him in Paris, I think it was either ’95 or ’97, singing ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’. That’s one of my fondest memories. We became friends after that.
“I probably remember him more from a humorous point of view, we had a lot of laughs, a lot of chuckles. Isaac definitely had an impression on people.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Isaac Hayes, “Black Moses” to me, is a huge influence to music that is being made currently.
“He was an equal cornerstone to the evolution of hip-hop, what’s come to be known as R&B, and urban music in general.
“So Isaac Hayes will be truly missed and he was a very influential part of music as we hear it today.”
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