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By The Skanner News | The Skanner News
Published: 06 August 2008

(NNPA) - Legendary soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes has died.
Relatives found Hayes, 65, unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill, said Steve Shular, a spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department in Memphis.
Paramedics attempted to revive him and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m., the sheriff's department said.
''There doesn't seem to be any foul play,'' Shular said. ''We don't see anything suspicious about his death. There will be a further statement from the hospital about the cause of death.''
Family members said the singer, who had a history of high blood pressure, had recently been treated for various medical conditions. In January 2006, news sources reported that Hayes had suffered a mild stroke. At the time, friends said the condition was brought on by exhaustion.
Hayes was a longtime songwriter and arranger for Stax Records in Memphis, playing in the studio's backup band and crafting tunes for artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave in the 1960s.
He released his first solo album in 1967, and his 1969 follow-up, ''Hot Buttered Soul,'' became a platinum hit.
In 1971, the theme from ''Shaft'' topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and won an Academy Award for best original theme song. The song and the movie score also won Grammy awards for best original score and movie theme.
Hayes won a third Grammy for pop instrumental performance with the title track to his 1972 ''Black Moses'' album.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Information from People.com and CNN.com contributed to this report.

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