Bobby Caldwell, the soulful R&B artist best known for his 1978 hit “What You Won’t Do for Love” and 1980 tracks “Open Your Eyes” and “Love,” passed away at the age of 71.
The passing of the singer-songwriter was declared by his spouse, Mary Caldwell, through his Twitter account. He peacefully passed away on Tuesday night while sleeping, following a prolonged illness.
“I have been ‘FLOXED’, experiencing the health effects over the last two months and six years. Thank you all for your numerous prayers. I am eternally devastated. I held him tightly in my arms as he left us. Bobby passed away here at home.”
According to Regenerative Medicine Los Angeles, the expression floxed is employed to explain when an individual experiences “mitochondrial harm and oxidative stress caused by an unfavorable impact from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic.”
Upon seeing the news of Black’s unexpected passing, some fans took to Twitter to express their heartfelt condolences for the soulful crooner’s untimely departure.
Caldwell’s wife expressed her astonishment at the overwhelming support. “He would be extremely grateful. He was somewhat introverted and did not actively seek attention or publicity. However, he always received love from the Black community, Black Entertainment Television, and the Soul Train Awards,” Caldwell said, fighting back tears. “He was consistently embraced and genuinely appreciated.”
For many years, supporters have presumed Bobby was African American — even Mary, who wed the vocalist in 2004.
She chuckled and said, “Bobby seemed uninterested, and I noticed that the guys who sang that song had a vivid visual image.” “I met him years ago in Las Vegas, oh, which I realized when he was performing as Frank Sinatra,” she continued. The sounds were familiar, I mentioned, and I gazed at the stage. The visual aspect was different from what I expected.
She chuckled and remarked, “Bobby adored it. That was my top choice. Which was absolutely amusing, a segment that a guy, I believe his alias is KevOnStage, performed. She also referenced a sketch developed by the comedian KevOnStage regarding Bobby.”
Many were convinced of the readiness of the black artist who performed in front of a Cleveland crowd, as Caldwell spoke about himself.
In 2015, the vocalist informed journalist Jered Stuffco, “It was like, ‘What the heck is this!?'”. “Suddenly, complete silence fell upon the audience. I stepped onto the stage and you could perceive absolute silence,” All the attendees were there to listen to ‘soul brother’ Bobby Caldwell.
After about ten minutes, I had them in my pocket and I stayed. I’ll tell you, I became a man that night.
Caldwell’s music, which has been acknowledged and sampled by renowned artists, has resonated with multiple generations. Notable musicians including Tupac, Aaliyah, and others have incorporated elements from his 1978 ballad “What You Won’t Do for Love”. Additionally, Snoh Aalegra, Boyz II Men, Michael Bolton, and Phyllis Hyman are among the artists who have performed their own interpretations of the song.
Several of his popular songs have sampled other well-known tracks. In 1997, his famous song “Limit the Sky’s” sampled Notorious B.I.G., While his Grammy-nominated hit in 2000, “Flame My,” would later sample Common. In 2018, he sampled Nas and Lil X for his own version of the track, which he named “Carry On.”
Mary said that her husband loved all types of music and was delighted to be able to resonate with it.
She expressed, “He was simply astonished and privileged. To be included and to serve as a connection between the 1970s and rap, the rap musicians who incorporated his samples, that was consistently a significant privilege for him.”
She explained that during interviews, they would ask, “Do you become angry when someone sings your song?” He was consistently filled with appreciation for those who covered his music. The ultimate form of recognition for him was when people would actively seek out and listen to his songs.
And he would respond, ‘Definitely not. I’m privileged that anyone appreciated any of my songs enough to perform them.’