LOS ANGELES (Ray Charles Fans Website) - Icons from
Stevie Wonder to BB King, Willie
Nelson and
Clint Eastwood offered moving tributes to
Ray Charles at a rousing musical send-off for the late Genius of soul.
Around 1,500 friends, family and musicians, packed a Los Angeles church for the funeral of the legend, who died of liver disease on June 10 aged 73, and celebrated his life with songs, cheers and applause.
Blues master King, Wonder, Nelson, country singer Glen Campbell and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis gave musical salutes to the man credited with having invented soul. The two-hour service was rich in tribute and in Charles' beloved gospel music.
"We are here to celebrate today, so it's alright if you clap your hands and stomp your feet," Charles's son, the Reverend Robert Robinson, told the applauding crowd in the First African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Hollywood icon and jazz aficionado Clint Eastwood and politician Jesse Jackson paid homage in words, while former US president Bill Clinton made his tribute by letter. Among the guests were crooner Johnny Mathis, rock 'n roll veteran Little Richard and saxophone player Dave 'Fathead' Newman, who also performed. The service was filled with reminiscences, laughter and praise for the blind musician, known across the world for hits such as "Georgia on My Mind," "What'd I Say" and "Hit the Road Jack."
But there were many tears too. There was hardly a dry eye in the house when a choked-up Willie Nelson sang Charles' mournful signature tune "Georgia on My Mind" from the pulpit, which overlooked his coffin.
Clinton, in a letter read by Charles' manager Joe Adams, said the multi-talented musician had entertained generations of people across the world during a 58-year career that earned him 13 Grammy awards.
"Ray left behind an incredible legacy as a singer, song writer and pianist. His soulful voice will forever live on in our hearts and in our minds," he wrote of his friend.
Eastwood said his pal Charles was one of the hardest working people he had known. "I'm here to join the chorus of praise for Ray," the actor and director said. "Anything he touched was just brilliant." A weeping BB King said he did "not feel worthy" to play for his late friend, but managed a soulful blues guitar number, to huge applause.
"We lost one of the greatest that has ever been," King told AFP before the ceremony. "When they said 'Genius' they were not lying."
Record producer Quincy Jones, Charles' friend and collaborator of 58 years, could not attend, but asked that an excerpt from Charles' song "My Buddy," which is dedicated to him, be played. Before singing his tribute, Wonder, who is also blind, praised the talent of his mentor, Charles.
"Before I knew how much we had in common, I knew there was a man who had a voice that touched my heart. His voice made me feel I wanted to love deeper, to care more, to embrace the world." Charles' friends remembered his mischievous wit, which he often used in reference to his loss of sight to glaucoma at the age of seven.
Nelson recalled playing chess with Charles, who had an uncanny knack of winning every game. "I told him, 'Ray, next time we play, can we turn on the lights?'"
