Soul Great Bobby Womack Dead At Age 70

Legendary US soul singer Bobby Womack died Friday (USA time) - cause of death has not yet been made public.

Womack's career spans five decades - his first recordings influenced Rolling Stones early career in the '60s (they covered his band The Valentinos' It's All Over Now, which Womack co-wrote) while in recent years he appeared as a guest vocalist with Damin Albarn's Gorillaz.

Born into a musical family, he first signed with Sam Cooke's label in 1960 as a part of Curtis Womack & The Womack Brothers.

Ahead of his solo career he played session for artists such as Aretha Franklin and The Box Tops. In 1968, he released his first solo record, followed by a string of successful R&B tracks (That's The Way I Feel About 'Cha, Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out, Lookin' For A Love) until battles with drug addiction and cancer meant his career went quiet from the mid-'80s.

After an initial comeback in 1989, it wasn't really until he recorded Stylo alongside Mos Def with Gorillaz in 2010 that his career really took an upswing again. He contributed vocals to two more Gorillaz tracks and toured with them internationally.

Womack was cleared of cancer in 2012, the same year he released comeback record The Bravest Man In The Universe through indie UK label XL Recordings.

Womack was reportedly working on a follow-up record at the time of his passing.