Stand By Me singer Ben E King dies aged 76

American R&B singer Ben E King, best known for his 1961 hit Stand By Me, has died at age 76. King died at his home in New Jersey on Thursday from a “coronary related illness”, the singer’s agent said. King started his career in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing on hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me. After going solo, he hit the U.S. top five with Stand By Me in 1961. It returned to the charts in the 1980s, including a three-week spell at number one in the UK, following its use in the film of the same name and a TV advert.

It was King’s incandescent vocal that made it a classic.

U.S. Library of Congress when adding Stand by Me to the National Recording Registry in 2015

The song has charted nine times on the US Billboard 100 over the years - King’s version twice and seven times with covers by artists like John Lennon and Prince Royce. It was also sampled for Sean Kingston’s 2007 number one single Beautiful Girls. In 1999, the BMI announced that the song, written by King with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was the fourth most-played track of the 20th Century on US radio and TV. King’s other hits included Spanish Harlem, Amor, Don’t Play That Song (You Lied) and Supernatural Thing - Part I.

Thank you Ben E for your friendship and the wonderful legacy you leave behind.

Singer Gary U.S. Bonds

Entertainment Ben E King