The Passing of a Soul King

Isaac Hayes, the musician and actor who wrote the theme to the movie Shaft, has passed away. He was found unresponsive by a family member and was pronounced dead an hour later. He was 65 years old.

Hayes was a musician who specified in jazz, rap, and even disco. In 1971 Isaac Hayes wrote and performed the theme to the movie Shaft. The song became a huge hit, going to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year and winning best original song at the Academy awards in 1972. Hayes’s performance of the song at the 1972 Academy Awards ceremony would later be named No. 18 in TV Guide’s list of television’s 25 most memorable moments.

In addition to being a musician Isaac Hayes was a actor. He appeared in several films such as It Could Happen to you, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Hustle and Flow. His most famous acting role was voicing the character of Chef in the show South Park. The character, a cafeteria chef who loved the ladies and routinely gave the children of the show advice, was notable as not only one of the few African American characters on the show but also one of the very few level headed adult characters. Hayes voiced the character during the first nine seasons but quit before the start of the tenth season. While several reasons have been given for his departure, such as a stroke Hayes had in January 2006, most believe it was the episode “Trapped in the Closet” that caused Hayes’s departure. The episode poked fun at scientology, which Hayes was a member of.

Hayes is survived by his wife and children. He will be missed.