‘Lean on Me’ Singer Bill Withers, Dead at Age 81

Bill Withers, the man behind such timeless classics as "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" has died from heart complications at the age of 81.

He's survived by his wife, Marcia, and his children, Todd and Kori.

Withers rose to fame in the 1970s and by all accounts started his career a little later in life - in his 30s. He won three Grammys before withdrawing from the music industry entirely in the 1980s.

Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. That same year, bandleader QuestLove told Rolling Stone,

He’s the last African-American Everyman. Jordan’s vertical jump has to be higher than everyone. Michael Jackson has to defy gravity. On the other side of the coin, we’re often viewed as primitive animals. We rarely land in the middle. Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.