Etta James | 1938-2012

Muhammad Ali chats with Etta James at the piano at the Kinshasa Hotel in Zaire in September 1974. James and other African American musicians were in the country to perform at the Zaire 74 music festival. The concert was organized as a promotional event to coincide with the heavyweight championship boxing match between Ali and George Foreman. (Horst Faas / Associated Press)

Jan. 21, 2012 8:20 AM PT

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Etta James, the earthy blues and R&B singer whose anguished vocals convinced generations of listeners that she would rather go blind than see her love leave, then communicated her joy upon finding that love at last, has died. She was 73. Read obituary

Singer Etta James performs at the Vine Street Bar & Grill in Hollywood in April 1987. In the mid-1970s, after getting caught writing bad checks to support her drug habit, James was offered a choice between prison or rehab. She chose the latter, and kicked heroin, but started using cocaine a few years later. A spiritual epiphany led her to give up cocaine and alcohol, and starting in the 1980s she began a personal and professional renaissance, opening her own company, Etta James Enterprises, and reestablishing her credibility in the music world. (Alison Wise / Associated Press)

Singer Etta James in 1988. Her six-decade recording career began at the top of the R&B charts when her bawdy 1955 single “The Wallflower,” better known as “Roll With Me Henry,” quickly made her a national star. (Gary Nichamin / Associated Press)

Etta James, left, gets a hug from k.d. lang upon being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)

Etta James performs at the House of Blues in 1999. She coaxed esteemed R&B producer Jerry Wexler, who had been pivotal in the careers of Aretha Franklin, Ruth Brown, Otis Redding and numerous others, out of retirement to oversee her 1993 album “The Right Time.” At the time, Wexler said, “I’ve never done anything better, and I’ve done a lot of records.” (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Etta James holds a plaque of her star after an unveiling ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2003. In 2002, James, who had struggled with her weight, underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost 200 pounds. She won her first Grammy for her 1994 album of jazz standards, “Mystery Lady.” She collected two more Grammys back to back for 2003’s “Let’s Roll,” honored as best contemporary blues album, and her 2004 collection “Blues to the Bone,” named best traditional blues album. (Nick Ut / Associated Press)