Legendary Artist Isaac Hayes is Dead at 65

Posted by Nathan Deen (nathan@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 11, 2008

The queue of obituaries doesn’t seem to be slowing down here on FSR. On Sunday, singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes was pronounced dead at a Memphis hospital after he was found unconscious next to a running treadmill at his home.

With his bald head, scruffy beard, dark shades, and flamboyant wardrobe and jewelry, Hayes was first and foremost a musician, although he still had an influence on the film and television industries. He wrote the famous theme song for Shaft, which he won an Academy Award for in 1972. The song is best known for the line “They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother-/Shut your mouth!” And as any fan of South Park will tell you, he will always be remembered as Chef, who provided strange and often hilarious songs of encouragement to the youngsters of South Park, Colorado. Because he was a Scientologist, he decided to leave the show a while back because of it’s attacks on the religion. He also made an appearance on the popular 90’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Hayes was not only an Academy Award winner, but also an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a part of one of television’s most successful shows. Not many talents can say that they were successful in multiple fields of media: recording, film, and television.

Our condolences go out to his friends and family.

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