Stand By Me singer Ben E King dies

Some sad news this morning as we report that 60s soul singer Ben E King died yesterday aged 76.

Best known for his timeless hit ‘Stand By Me’, Ben lived in New Jersey and died of natural causes, according to ABC.

Born in 1938 in North Carolina, Ben E King went on to become an R&B legend, whose songs are still played by all generations today. He later re-recorded his biggest song for the 1987 film Stand By Me, starring the late River Phoenix. It again became a number one in 1987, 26 years after the original.

Before his fame as a solo artist, Ben E King was a lead singer of the R&B group The Drifters, and co-wrote and sang lead on the first hit by the new version of the Drifters, “There Goes My Baby” (1959).

Ben had other songs hit the charts including “Spanish Harlem”, Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)”, “Amor”, “Seven Letters”, “How Can I Forget”, “On the Horizon”, “Young Boy Blues”,”Save The Last Dance For Me”, “First Taste of Love”, “Here Comes the Night”, “Ecstasy”, and “That’s When It Hurts”.

King continued to perform, with his last performance last year on an American tour.