Clarence Carter, the singer behind classics like Patches and Slip Away, has died at age 90.
The Grammy-nominated R&B icon’s death passed away on Wednesday, May 13, with his death being announced the next day by Fame Recording Studios.
His management company also confirmed the news to the Guardian, saying the Alabama native died following complications with pneumonia. An official cause of death is yet to be announced.
In a tribute shared to Facebook, Alabama’s Fame Recording Studio reflected on Carter’s “legacy of timeless music” and “unforgettable performances.”
“He was far more than an artist to us. He was family,” the statement noted.
Carter carved out one of soul music’s most enduring careers despite losing his sight at just one year old. His unmistakable voice and unapologetically raunchy lyricism helped define the late 1960s and early ’70s, delivering chart-topping hits including 1968’s Slip Away, and the international smash Patches in 1970.
Over a career spanning decades, Carter released 22 studio albums and earned two Grammy nominations. Though his final studio record, Sing Along With Clarence Carter, arrived in 2011, he continued releasing live recordings and compilations through 2020 while still performing well into the 2010s.
Beyond his music, Carter shared a chapter of his life with fellow soul star Candi Staton, to whom he was married from 1970 to 1973. He is survived by their son, Clarence Carter Jr., as well as his wife Joyce Jenkins, who he married in 2001.
