LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Grammy-winning R&B artist James Ingram, best known for hits such as “Baby, Come to Me” and “Somewhere Out There” his duet with Linda Ronstadt, has died. He was 66.
The news of Ingram’s passing was first reported on social media by his longtime friend and collaborator Debbie Allen.
“I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir,” Allen wrote. “He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name.”
While no official cause of death was announced for Ingram, multiple media outlets reported that he passed after a battle with brain cancer.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Ingram relocated to Los Angeles, where he appeared in films such as the Rudy Ray Moore film Dolemite and performed as a keyboardist for Ray Charles before gaining traction as a solo artist in 1981.
Two years later, he earned his first Grammy nominations for “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” and scored his first gold album for his 1983 release “It’s Your Night.”
In 1987, he scored another major hit when he teamed up with Linda Ronstadt to record the duet “Somewhere Out There” as the theme for the animated feature film An American Tail. The song would go on to win Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards and would be one of the last 45RPM records to be certified gold by the RIAA.
His final top ten hit came in 1990 with “I Don’t Have the Heart” from the album It’s Real, which peaked at #1 on the U.S. charts.
Legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who collaborated with Ingram multiple times over the years, expressed his grief at Ingram’s passing.
Quincy Jones statement on James Ingram pic.twitter.com/hkGXvypvhe
— Jon Caramanica (@joncaramanica) January 29, 2019
