Fontella Bass hit the top of the charts in 1965 with “Rescue ... more >ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fontella Bass, a St. Louis-born soul singer who hit the top of the R&B charts with “Rescue Me” in 1965, has died.
The singer’s daughter, Neuka Mitchell, said Miss Bass died at a St. Louis hospice Wednesday night of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago. She was 72. Miss Bass had also suffered several strokes since 2005.
Miss Bass was born into a family with deep musical roots. Her mother was gospel singer Martha Bass, one of the Clara Ward Singers. Her younger brother, David Peaston, had a string of R&B hits in the 1980s and 1990s. Peaston died in February at age 54.
Her surviving family includes four children. Her husband, jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie, died in 1999.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
