In the wake of Etta James' death Friday at age 73, Beyonce and other celebrities expressed their sympathies over the singer's passing.
"This is a huge loss," Beyonce, who played James in the movie "Cadillac Records," said in a statement on her website. "Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime."
Beyonce said James' music inspired her to be a stronger artist.
"When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."
James, whose condition was pronounced terminal in December, succumbed to complications of leukemia Friday morning at a hospital in Riverside, according to her son Donto and her personal doctor. Best known for the song "At Last," she had battled serious infections for years and also suffered from dementia.
Beyonce was far from alone in expressing herself.
"Some of you young'ns may not be too familiar with Etta James but ... many of you are definitely familiar with her biggest hit song At Last (which Beyoncé performed at the inauguration of President Obama back in 2009)," Pink explained Friday on her website.
Many historians consider “Work With Me Annie” and the string of replies to be the big bang of rock 'n' roll — and a bold invitation for a young African American female singer in 1955. James' explosive voice, coupled with her innocent presence belting out such relatively bawdy lyrics, made for a disconnect that James and Otis took full advantage of.
To say that James was a magnetic presence would be an understatement: It's been speculated that blues legend B.B. King wrote “Sweet Sixteen” with her in mind, and as James grew, her voice and delivery also matured, allowing her a range that nailed ballads with the same passion as rockers.
In fact, despite her rise as a rock 'n' roll singer and her eventual induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James was called “The Queen of R&B” for a reason: It was in her less raucous, more romantic ballads where she and her voice burned the brightest. Her first Grammy nomination in 1960 was given to her for a heartbreaking ballad called “All I Could Do Was Cry,” where she sings of watching her true love get married as she stands outside the church.
And then there's “At Last,” the song she will forever be associated with. Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren, the original version was recorded in 1941. A life-affirming fairy tale of true love recorded gently by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the emotion that James packs into the song is urgent and real. Her phrasing of the first line, a throwaway in lesser hands, is only seven simple words but conveys a novel's worth of feeling: “At last,” she sings, sounding both relieved and overjoyed as a candle-lit string section supports her voice, “my love has come along.” It's one of the great singing moments in the American musical canon.
"This is a huge loss," Beyonce, who played James in the movie "Cadillac Records," said in a statement on her website. "Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime."
Beyonce said James' music inspired her to be a stronger artist.
"When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."
James, whose condition was pronounced terminal in December, succumbed to complications of leukemia Friday morning at a hospital in Riverside, according to her son Donto and her personal doctor. Best known for the song "At Last," she had battled serious infections for years and also suffered from dementia.
Beyonce was far from alone in expressing herself.
"Some of you young'ns may not be too familiar with Etta James but ... many of you are definitely familiar with her biggest hit song At Last (which Beyoncé performed at the inauguration of President Obama back in 2009)," Pink explained Friday on her website.
Many historians consider “Work With Me Annie” and the string of replies to be the big bang of rock 'n' roll — and a bold invitation for a young African American female singer in 1955. James' explosive voice, coupled with her innocent presence belting out such relatively bawdy lyrics, made for a disconnect that James and Otis took full advantage of.
To say that James was a magnetic presence would be an understatement: It's been speculated that blues legend B.B. King wrote “Sweet Sixteen” with her in mind, and as James grew, her voice and delivery also matured, allowing her a range that nailed ballads with the same passion as rockers.
In fact, despite her rise as a rock 'n' roll singer and her eventual induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James was called “The Queen of R&B” for a reason: It was in her less raucous, more romantic ballads where she and her voice burned the brightest. Her first Grammy nomination in 1960 was given to her for a heartbreaking ballad called “All I Could Do Was Cry,” where she sings of watching her true love get married as she stands outside the church.
And then there's “At Last,” the song she will forever be associated with. Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren, the original version was recorded in 1941. A life-affirming fairy tale of true love recorded gently by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the emotion that James packs into the song is urgent and real. Her phrasing of the first line, a throwaway in lesser hands, is only seven simple words but conveys a novel's worth of feeling: “At last,” she sings, sounding both relieved and overjoyed as a candle-lit string section supports her voice, “my love has come along.” It's one of the great singing moments in the American musical canon.
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