Influential 1950s Rhythm-and-blues Singer, Etta James of At Last Repute died in Los Angeles

The influential 1950s rhythm-and-blues singer, Etta James, best known for her show-stopping hit At Last, died on 20 January 2012 from complications of leukemia. James died in her home town of Riverside, California, Los Angeles.

Etta James was born as Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles on 25 January 1938.

By 1954, she recorded Roll With Me Henry with two other girls in a trio called The Peaches. The group was discovered by bandleader Johnny Otis, and later their song was  renamed The Wallflower. The Wallflower topped R&B charts in 1955. In the 1960s, James signed with Chicago’s legendary Chess Records label and sang songs like At Last and Trust in Me that were backed by orchestras. James’ hit the R&B charts with 30 singles, and placed nine of those songs in pop music’s top 40.

Among fellow rock icons, James’ career was legendary. With songs like The Wallflower and Good Rockin’ Daddy, the three-time Grammy winner was figure to reckon with in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. Her signature song, the 1961 ballad At Last, proved her mastery of the blues.

Throughout her long career she diversified into mainstream blues, soul and R&B. James’ last album, The Dreamer, was released in 2011.

The three time Grammy-award winning R&B singer struggled with obesity and heroin addiction, ran a hot-check scheme and had troubled relationships with men, including some gangstersShe kept gaining weight and in 2003 she underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost more than 200 pounds.

James won her first Grammy in 1995 for her album, Mystery Lady: The Songs of Billie Holiday. She also won Grammys in 2003 and 2005, as well as a lifetime achievement award in 2003 from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Grammys. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.