Heavily sampled singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell dies at 71

Bobby Caldwell, a prolific singer-songwriter who recorded a steady string of R&B hits starting in the 1970s, has died. His wife, Mary Caldwell, posted the news on her husband’s verified Twitter account Wednesday afternoon. He was 71.

“Bobby passed away here at home,” Mrs. Caldwell wrote. “I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken. Thanks to all of you for your many prayers over the years.

“He had been ‘FLOXED,’” she continued, referring to an adverse reaction to antibiotics Mr. Caldwell suffered in 2017, leading to a ruptured Achilles tendon and chronic neuropathy, according to a TMZ report. “[I]t took his health over the last 6 years and 2 months. Rest with God, my Love.”

Caldwell was born in New York City in 1951 and raised in Miami, Florida. He started playing music as a pre-teen and scored a gig as Little Richard’s rhythm guitarist in the early ’70s. He went solo a few years later, releasing his self-titled debut LP in 1978. It was a double-platinum success led by the single “What You Won’t Do for Love,” which remains his biggest hit. Most notably sampled on Tupac’s “Do for Love,” it’s one of many songs he wrote that would go on to become foundations for hip-hop classics.

Tunes from Caldwell’s first two records proved to be particularly fertile ground for sampling in the ’90s and early aughts: “My Flame” and “Open Your Eyes,” for example, were flipped by Clark Kent on Biggie’s “Sky’s the Limit” and by J Dilla on Common’s “The Light,” respectively. More recently, several of his songs have been sampled by NxWorries producer Knxwledge and popped up on tracks by A$AP Rocky and Lil Nas X. Caldwell’s knack for memorable melodies and the indelible imprint he left on hip-hop will keep his legacy alive long after his passing.