Jerry Butler, the iconic lead singer of the legendary R&B group The Impressions, has died at the age of 85.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s niece, Yolanda Goff, confirmed his death to the Chicago Sun-Times, “He will be missed, and we hope the city of Chicago honors his legacy.”
He passed away in his home on Thursday after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
The pop icon's fan paid tribute to him on X, "RIP legend, you will always be missed."
Jerry composed The Impressions first hit single in 1958, For Your Precious Love.
The track become so famous that it was included in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
After being born in Sunflower, Miss., in 1939, his parents decide to shift to Chicago when he was 3 years old.
The veteran singer shared how he got into music industry during chat with NPR in 2005, “I was the guy that never expected to be in show business. Show business was an avocation. It was something that I did as a hobby. I enjoyed it.”
He added, “I would have sang free if I couldn't have gotten paid. And once I found out I could get paid, I took it a little more seriously, and got into it a little bit more.”
Notably, Jerry was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1986 and he tried in 2018.
