Perhaps revealing where my deepest emotions lie, I am much more touched by the passing of Ray Charles than I am by the loss of Ronald Reagan, who was 20 years older than Charles and I had long since written off in my mind as a machine that had long since lost its ghost.

The official press release:

(Los Angeles, Calif., June 10, 2004)---Music legend Ray Charles, 73, a 13-time Grammy® Award winner, known the world over as "The Genius of Soul," died at 11:35 AM (PDT) today at the age of 73, announced his publicist, Jerry Digney, of Solters & Digney.

He was surrounded by family, friends and longtime business associates at his home in Beverly Hills.

"Although he was very successful and owned a home in Beverly Hills, his first home was always his treasured studio, recently named a city landmark," said a saddened Joe Adams, the entertainer's manager for the past 45 years.

Charles' last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer's studios an historic landmark.

Last summer, it was initially reported that Charles---born in Albany, GA, on Sept. 30, 1930, as Ray Charles Robinson---was suffering from "acute hip discomfort."

As doctors began to treat the entertainer in Los Angeles and perform a successful hip replacement procedure, other ailments were diagnosed, and Charles ultimately succumbed from complications due to liver disease.

Prior to his death, Charles finalized a duets album, "Genius Loves Company," for the Concord label, his first new album since 2001 and okayed plans for the building of the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Norah Jones, BB King, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis and James Taylor are just a few of the notable artists involved with the project, which is scheduled for release Aug. 31.

"The duets project has been a tremendous experience," he said, at the outset of recording.

"I am working with some of the best artists in the business, as well as some of my dearest friends."

Charles was recently awarded the prestigious "President's Merit Award" from the Grammy organization by its president, Neil Portnow, just prior to the 2004 Grammy Awards, and was named a City of Los Angeles "Cultural Treasure" by Mayor James Hahn during "African American Heritage Month" in a February ceremony that he attended.

He also received the NAACP Image Awards' "Hall of Fame Award" on March 6.
An accomplished pianist and songwriter, Charles was considered the creator of the soul music genre, a unique R&B forerunner to rock n' roll and other musical offspring.

During a career that spanned some 58 years, Charles starred on over 250 albums, many of them top sellers in a variety of musical genres.

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