Rest In Power: Soulful R&B singer and devout Christian, James Ingram, dies at 66
(EEW Newswire) James Ingram, the Ohio-born R&B singer who accepted Jesus as a child and never strayed from his father’s words or the Christian faith, has passed at the age of 66.
His soulful baritone voice dominated the charts throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. At the time of writing, EEW Magazine has not confirmed his cause of death.
Debbie Allen, Ingram’s friend and longtime creative partner, confirmed news of his passing. “He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name,” Allen said in a statement posted to Twitter.
In a previous interview with CBN, Ingram, who was unashamed of his love for God, said the scripture his father ingrained in him was Hebrews 11:1 KJV, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Also, he was taught that with “faith in God and confidence in himself, there was nothing he couldn’t do.”
James Ingram performed onstage during the UNICEF Playlist with the A-List celebrity karaoke benefit at El Rey Theatre on May 17, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty)
His late father, who passed away in 2002, was a deacon in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) where the whole family attended, as well as Ingram’s Sunday school teacher.
Ingram fell in love with music while playing with a local band called Revelation Funk. When they disbanded, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the music business—and that’s exactly what he did.
Over the course of his career, Ingram achieved eight Top 40 hits, two of which — his 1982 duet with Patti Austin, “Baby, Come to Me” and 1990’s “I Don’t Have the Heart” — went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another one of his notable hits, a collaboration with Linda Ronstadt called “Somewhere Out There”, peaked at No. 2, while his songs “One Hundred Wats” and “Yah Mo B There” featuring Michael McDonald earned him Grammys for Best R&B Vocal Performance.
Ingram also co-wrote “The Day I Fall in Love”, from the film Beethoven’s 2nd, and Patty Smyth’s “Look What Love Has Done”, from the movie Junior, earning him back-to-back Oscar for Best Original Song in 1994 and 1995.
He leaves behind his wife and childhood sweetheart, Debra Robinson, whom he wed in 1975. The couple shared six children.
The Associated Press contributed to this developing story.