BREAKING NEWS: Ray Charles Dead at 73

[nostamj]

Now, there's something to mourn...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/10/obit.ray.charles.ap/index.html

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as "What'd I Say" and heartfelt ballads like "Georgia on My Mind," died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 73.

Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney.

Charles' last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer's studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, as a historic landmark.

Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, Charles spent his life shattering any notion of musical boundaries and defying easy definition. A gifted pianist and saxophonist, he dabbled in country, jazz, big band and blues, and put his stamp on it all with a deep, warm voice roughened by heartbreak from a hardscrabble childhood in the segregated South.

"His sound was stunning -- it was the blues, it was R&B, it was gospel, it was swing -- it was all the stuff I was listening to before that but rolled into one amazing



Rest in Peace Ray. An Original and Irreplacable!

(and gave more to the world in his last ten years than RR gave in his first 83)

[slinkerwink]

1. oh no.....

:-(

[bicentennial_baby]

2. So sad...

RIP Ray, you will be missed. :-(

[Beetwasher]

3. Aww Fuck!

Now THAT'S Sad!

[ewagner]

4. Awwwww...

I'll really miss him....

Have to play Georgia on my Mind tonight in his memory.

God I loved his voice...........

RIP Ray Charles.

[mark0rama]

40. ...and I'll play Rainy Night In Georgia

because right now, it really does seem like it's raining all over the world.

[ewagner]

44. Oh man,

tears welling up in my eyes thinking about it.........

[nostamj]

50. and on the flip side...

I'll remember the utter JOY of his rendition of SHAKE YOUR TAILFEATHER in "The Blues Brothers"

the man could do it ALL.

[htuttle]

5. NOW I'm sad

[Walt Starr]

6. That's the saddest news of a death I've heard all year!

DAMN!

[jukes]

7. this is

really sad.

[hatrack]

8. Bummer!!!!!!!!

Man, not RAY!!

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

17. :( Poor Ray. May you rest in peace.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

9. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG - NO!!!

:(

[FarLeftRage]

10. Now I'm shocked.

:cry:

[KissMyAsscroft]

11. Oh God...

RIP Roy...you were a musical genius and you were loved.

[Paragon]

12. There's someone to mourn five days for...

Horrible, if true. :(

[laylah]

13. Oh no!

Rest in peace, Mr. Charles...you will be sorely missed by millions around the world.

Jenn

[LiberalVoice]

14. Damn...That is really sad.

:(

[redqueen]

15. .

:cry:

[SheepyMcSheepster]

16. R.I.P. Ray

thanks for the good stuff! you will be missed.
B-)

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

22. "G-d shed his grace on thee..."

[Mandate My Ass]

18. America the Beautiful

gets me choked up every time I hear it. Now I'm choked up
just thinking about it.

Oh beautiful, for heroes proved,
In liberating strife,
Who more than self, our country loved,
And mercy more than life,

America, America, may God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain devined.

And you know when I was in school,
We used to sing it something like this, listen here:

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties,
Above the fruited plain,

But now wait a minute, I'm talking about
America, sweet America,
You know, God done shed his grace on thee,
He crowned thy good, yes he did, in a brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea.

You know, I wish I had somebody to help me sing this
(America, America, God shed his grace on thee)
America, I love you America, you see,
My God he done shed his grace on thee,
And you oughta love him for it,
Cause he, he, he, he, crowned thy good,
He told me he would, with brotherhood,
(From sea to shining sea).
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I thank you Lord
(Shining sea).

[Leprechan29]

19. We've lost one voice

That deserves to be heard

Rest in Peace Ray

[methinks2]

20. AAAWWWW

I really feel sad. I loved his version of the song America the Beautiful. Godspeed to Ray.

[Leprechan29]

21. Link

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5182959/

Short, but I think it will be longer soon

[ElementaryPenguin]

23. Now THAT makes me sad!! A true loss! A real pioneer!

I'll miss him!

[Blue-Jay]

24. Well, shit. That's sad news.

[Squeegee]

25. I didn't think twice about Reagan's passing...

... mostly because everyone knew it was coming (and Reagan wasn't really anyone I honestly cared about). But this one is very very sad because it's so unexpected. He was truly an American treasure. We'll all miss him.

[ElementaryPenguin]

31. I feel the same way. Reagan had Alzheimer's and was but a figurehead

But Mr. Charles was a true pioneer and legend! This news immediately brought tears to my eyes.

[Padraig18]

26. Damn!

:cry:

[calimary]

27. Aw, man! BUMMER!

And it will likely be paid shorter shrift because of the continuing Ron-a-thon.

Bless your heart and soul, Ray!

[Cleita]

28. Oh that is sad. There was a great musician and all around

good person. My condolences to his family.

[MallRat]

29. An American original.

His rendition of "America the Beautiful" brings tears to my eyes every time.

What an artist. What a loss.

:cry:

-MR

[BurtWorm]

30. There goes a REAL giant.

:cry:

[Walt Starr]

32. WOW, Ray Charles is a REAL Uniter!

Freepers feel the same way we do!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1151274/posts

R.I.P. to one of the best of the best!

[eleny]

33. Absolutely

What a great thought

RIP Ray!

[Catherine Vincent]

45. A couple of them took a shot at us and at big Bill:

Maybe the impeached one will be asked to speak at this funeral. I don't like to even type his name. 06/10/2004 12:48:58 PM PDT by Texagirl4

-------

Now on top of Reagan Week, the libs will have to put up with endless renditions of Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful."

Poor babies. 06/10/2004 12:41:49 PM PDT by Maceman

[Walt Starr]

51. Ray Charles had the BEST rendition of America the Beautiful EVER!

They have no clue about us, really.

BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if Clinton WAS asked to speak at Mr. Charles' service.

[nostamj]

52. RC "got" that song

like no one else.

but the freeps KNOW we all HATE America... <sigh>

[CaptainClark23]

34. Rest in Peace, Brother Ray

goddamnitalltohell....no Ray Charles? fuck me....

[LiberalEconomist]

35. Oh man

that hurts.

[cmf]

36. Oh no!

Rest in Peace. :cry:

[sdfernando]

37. Goodbye to a ledgendary figure.

I'm always sad when we loose a fellow musician, but this one cuts especially deep. We've lost one of the great masters today. Thanks Ray for touching my soul with your music.

[misanthrope]

38. What an indescribable loss...

...NOW the national culture is really suffering.

[Straight Shooter]

39. Now he really does see the light, singing with the angels

Singing the blues never hurt so bad as it does today. :cry:

[Pastiche423]

41. Safe journey, Ray

Many, many thanks for the gift you gave to millions.

I will remember you most fondly the night of the 2003 White House Correspondents Dinner...

3/4 Time

[nostamj]

42. yes!

when he went 'off-script' and very very subtly nailed *

a great moment.

[KittyWampus]

43. Ray Charles Lives On In His Music

and all the muscians who he's inspired and enlightened over the years.

What a legend.

HEY! Anyone every watch the Nanny? Ray Charles played Fran's grandma's boyfriend :D

[Cheswick2.0]

46. 73 is not that old...how very sad

At least we have all his great music to remember him by.

[Renew Deal]

47. Sorry to hear it.

:cry:

[indigobusiness]

48. Now THAT is a national tragedy.

America lost a treasure and a true hero.

RIP Ray.

[mandyky]

49. Hopefully VH1, MTV or CMT do tributes to

this decent talented man. I am truly bummed over THIS man's passing!

[DarbyUSMC]

53. We "can't stop loving you" Ray. In life or in death we'll always remember

your music. Every time it plays, you will be there and we'll smile a little smile and maybe shed a tear because we miss you so. Heaven's gain is our loss.

[fujiyama]

54. That's terrible

He really was great... :(

[nostamj]

55. Nightline is doing a tribute tonight

11:35 EST on ABC

[OneBlueSky]

56. Ray Charles made more of a contribution to America . . .

than Ronald Reagan could ever dream of just by singing "American the Beautiful" once . . . here is someone who truly deserves to be mourned . . . rest in peace, Brother Ray . . .

[mopaul]

57. .

[mopaul]

58. soul