Soul Music Innovator Isaac Hayes Dead at 65

Isaac Hayes, the iconic, shaven-headed, gold-bedecked singer-songwriter-musician-arranger-actor-media figure whose 1971 solo R&B hit “Theme from Shaft” is often considered a precursor of the funk and disco movements, and who penned hit songs for the Memphis-based Stax and Volt labels, died August 10 in East Memphis, Tenn. He was 65.

The cause was not announced but Hayes was being treated for a number of medical conditions and had suffered a stroke in 2006. His body was discovered next to a treadmill in his home by his wife, Adjowa.