Etta James Dead at 73: 'At Last' Singer Dies After Leukemia Battle

Getty Images

Etta James, the powerhouse singer who combined blues, gospel and R&B and emerged as a major star in the '50s and '60s, has died after a long battle with leukemia. According to CNN, the sad news was confirmed by her friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, who revealed that James died in a Riverside, Calif., hospital. She was 73.

Best known for her 1961 version of 'At Last,' James enjoyed a remarkable career that spanned more than a half-century. Her string of hits began with 1955's 'The Wallflower (Dance With Me, Henry)' and continued with such classics as 'Spoonful,' 'Something's Got a Hold on Me' and 'Tell Mama.' Over the years, she won six Grammy awards, and in 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The singer's life was not without hardship, however. Her popularity declined in the '70s and '80s, and she struggled for years with an addiction to heroin. While she earned plaudits for the 1988 "comeback" album 'Seven Year Itch,' recorded after she'd completed a stint at the Betty Ford Center, health troubles continued to plague her throughout her life. In addition to leukemia, she spent recent years grappling with dementia, Hepatitis C and Alzheimer's disease, and in January 2010, she was hospitalized for sepsis.