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R&B and blues music legend dead at 86: ‘He was a bad man’
R&B and blues singer Benjamin William Lattimore, known professionally as Latimore, has died at age 86. The artist behind the 1974 hit 'Let's Straighten It Out' is remembered for a career spanning over five decades, including 27 albums and a 2017 Blues Hall of Fame induction.
R&B and blues legend Latimore died on Saturday at the age of 86, according to multiple reports. The singer, born Benjamin William Lattimore, was best known for his 1974 hit "Let's Straighten It Out."
Tributes quickly emerged, with fellow musician Calvin Nared Walton writing on Facebook: "He was a powerful singer and a helluva keyboard player. This live version (of 'Let's Straighten It Out') is everything. If you're unfamiliar or if you need to have your memory refreshed, check it out. He was a bad man. RIP."
Jennifer Henderson, another tribute, echoed the sentiment, writing, "The Blues and Southern Soul world has lost a true legend, Benjamin 'Latimore' Lattimore, the unforgettable voice behind 'Let's Straighten Out,' has passed away at the age of 86." She added, "His voice, his music, and the should he poured into every song helped pave the way for generations of artists who came after him. His influence can still be heard throughout Southern Soul today. Legends never truly leave us — their music keeps playing. Rest well, Mr. Latimore. Thank you for the music, the memories, and the legacy."
A Career Spanning Five Decades
Latimore began his career in 1965 and scored his first hit in 1973 with a remake of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday." That song reached No. 27 on the R&B chart, according to theericalper.com. He followed with "If You Were My Woman," which reached No. 70 on the R&B Chart.
It was "Let's Straighten It Out," however, that became his signature, reaching No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and withstanding the test of time.
His career produced 13 charted singles, the last being "Sunshine Lady" in 1986. He released 27 albums, with his final album "Latimore Remembers Ray Charles" coming in 2013.
Honors and Legacy
In 2017, Latimore was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, a recognition of his long-lasting impact on the genre. As Henderson noted, his influence continues to be felt in Southern Soul today.
How each outlet told it
al.com
Framing: Emphasizes death at 86 and a quote calling him 'a bad man', highlighting his legendary status and the personal reaction. — Respectful and celebratory, supported by the tribute quotes and the phrase 'legend'.
Facts Included:
Latimore died on Saturday at age 86
Real name Benjamin William Lattimore
Best known for 1974 hit 'Let's Straighten It Out'
Facebook tributes from Calvin Nared Walton and Jennifer Henderson
Career began in 1965
First hit in 1973 with 'Stormy Monday', reached No. 27 on R&B chart
'If You Were My Woman' reached No. 70 on R&B chart
'Let's Straighten It Out' reached No. 31 on Billboard Hot 100
Career spanned more than five decades, 13 charted singles, last in 1986
Framing: Emphasizes death at 86 and a quote calling him 'a bad man', highlighting his legendary status and the personal reaction. — Respectful and celebratory, supported by the tribute quotes and the phrase 'legend'.
Facts Included:
Latimore died on Saturday at age 86
Real name Benjamin William Lattimore
Best known for 1974 hit 'Let's Straighten It Out'
Facebook tributes from Calvin Nared Walton and Jennifer Henderson
Career began in 1965
First hit in 1973 with 'Stormy Monday', reached No. 27 on R&B chart
'If You Were My Woman' reached No. 70 on R&B chart
'Let's Straighten It Out' reached No. 31 on Billboard Hot 100
Career spanned more than five decades, 13 charted singles, last in 1986
Framing: Emphasizes death at 86 and a quote calling him 'a bad man', highlighting his legendary status and the personal reaction. — Respectful and celebratory, supported by the tribute quotes and the phrase 'legend'.
Facts Included:
Latimore died on Saturday at age 86
Real name Benjamin William Lattimore
Best known for 1974 hit 'Let's Straighten It Out'
Facebook tributes from Calvin Nared Walton and Jennifer Henderson
Career began in 1965
First hit in 1973 with 'Stormy Monday', reached No. 27 on R&B chart
'If You Were My Woman' reached No. 70 on R&B chart
'Let's Straighten It Out' reached No. 31 on Billboard Hot 100
Career spanned more than five decades, 13 charted singles, last in 1986
Framing: Emphasizes death at 86 and a quote calling him 'a bad man', highlighting his legendary status and the personal reaction. — Respectful and celebratory, supported by the tribute quotes and the phrase 'legend'.
Facts Included:
Latimore died on Saturday at age 86
Real name Benjamin William Lattimore
Best known for 1974 hit 'Let's Straighten It Out'
Facebook tributes from Calvin Nared Walton and Jennifer Henderson
Career began in 1965
First hit in 1973 with 'Stormy Monday', reached No. 27 on R&B chart
'If You Were My Woman' reached No. 70 on R&B chart
'Let's Straighten It Out' reached No. 31 on Billboard Hot 100
Career spanned more than five decades, 13 charted singles, last in 1986
Framing: Emphasizes death at 86 and a quote calling him 'a bad man', highlighting his legendary status and the personal reaction. — Respectful and celebratory, supported by the tribute quotes and the phrase 'legend'.
Facts Included:
Latimore died on Saturday at age 86
Real name Benjamin William Lattimore
Best known for 1974 hit 'Let's Straighten It Out'
Facebook tributes from Calvin Nared Walton and Jennifer Henderson
Career began in 1965
First hit in 1973 with 'Stormy Monday', reached No. 27 on R&B chart
'If You Were My Woman' reached No. 70 on R&B chart
'Let's Straighten It Out' reached No. 31 on Billboard Hot 100
Career spanned more than five decades, 13 charted singles, last in 1986
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimR&B and blues legend Latimore (Benjamin William Lattimore) died on Saturday at the age of 86.
ClaimJennifer Henderson wrote on Facebook that Latimore passed away at age 86 and that his voice, music, and soul helped pave the way for generations of artists.