According to his wife – Mary Caldwell, Bobby Caldwell, an R&B singer and songwriter who had a hit limelight in 1978 with the song “What You Won’t Do for Love” died on Wednesday.
She said Bobby Caldwell died in her arms at their home in Great Meadows, New Jersey, on Tuesday, after a long illness.
Bobby’s song “What You Won’t Do for Love” got to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on what was then called the Hot Selling Soul Singles chart. It instantly became a long-term standard and career-defining him.
The song was covered by artists, including Boyz II Men and Michael Bolton, and was sampled by Tupac Shakur on his posthumously released song “Do For Love.”
Many of his fans then were said to be surprised at first knowing that he was white and not black.
In a statement from Instagram, Questlove said; “Caldwell was the closing chapter in a generation in which record execs wanted to hide faces on the album covers so perhaps maybe their artist could have a chance”.
“Thank you for your voice and gift #BobbyCaldwell,” Questlove added.
Bobby Caldwell was 71 years old at the time of his death. He was born in New York and raised in Miami, Caldwell was the son of singers who hosted a musical variety TV show called “Suppertime.” A multi-instrumentalist, he began his professional performance at the age of 17 years and got his first breakthrough playing guitar in Little Richard’s band in the early 1970s. In the mid-’70s, Caldwell played in various bar bands in Los Angeles before landing a solo record deal.
Bobby Caldwell also released several other notable albums, including the 1980s “Cat in The Hat” — on which he appeared on the cover photo wearing a fedora — and the 1982’s “Carry On,” on which he was the producer and played all the instruments.