Percy Sledge

Percy Sledge, the man behind the huge hit “When A Man Loves A Woman”, has died at the age of 73 at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Sledge had surgery for liver cancer in January 2014 but resumed touring soon after that.

His working life began in the cotton fields around his hometown in Alabama and in the early 60’s he became a nurse in a nearby hospital. A patient heard him singing while he worked and recommended him to record producer Quin Ivy.

“When A Man Loves A Woman” was Sledge’s debut single, and not only was it a hit in many countries, it reached the top ten more than once in some parts of the world. It was re-released after being used in the 1987 movie “Platoon”, and was also featured in “The Big Chill”, “The Crying Game” and a 1994 Meg Ryan drama movie with the same name. It became a hit again when  Micheal Bolton covered it in 1991, and countless others have made their own versions.