Hall of Fame R&B singer and politician dead at 85

American R&B, Soul, and Funk musician Jerry Butler (also known as the Iceman) passed away on Thursday at the age of 85. (Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images)Getty Images

Prolific R&B singer and politician Jerry Butler – also known as “The Iceman,” died at 85.

 

His assistant and “niece at heart,” Marty, told TMZ that Butler passed away from natural causes on Thursday night at his home in Chicago. He had also been battling Parkinson’s disease.

 

“He was very important to both music and the community, and he will be missed,” his niece Yolanda Goff said Friday to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We hope the city of Chicago recognizes the legacy he leaves behind.”

 

Butler’s family moved from Mississippi to Chicago, Illinois, in 1942 when he was three. In Chicago, he discovered his love for music. In the 1950s, he performed in a church choir with legendary artist Curtis Mayfield.

 

They would both go on to form The Impressions, in which Butler was the lead vocalist. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. The singer also succeeded as a solo artist with hits such as “He Will Break Your Heart” and “Find Another Girl.”

 

Never one to rest on his laurels, Butler also served as commissioner for Cook County, Illinois, from 1985 to 2018. His wife, Annette, who was originally one of his backup singers, passed away in 2019.