​Beloved disco and soul singer Gwen McCrae has died aged 81

Prominent disco, funk and soul singer Gwen McCrae has died aged 81.

Soul music platform Soul Tracks confirmed the news on Friday, February 21, revealing that she had passed away the same day. “We sadly pass on the news of the death of soul and disco star Gwen McCrae,” they confirmed. “She was 81.”

“We are still jamming to ‘Rockin’ Chair’ all these years later. Rest in peace Gwen,” they wrote in a post on Twitter. No cause of death was given.

Gwen McCrae was born into a musical family in Florida in 1943, where she would perform in choirs and alongside groups such as The Lafayettes throughout her teenage years, and later with her husband, George McCrae.

The pair would be tapped by Betty Wright and musical entrepreneur Henry Stone – the founder of record labels Alston and TK Records. Gwen became a backing vocalist on TK releases, before dropping early tracks including ‘Always On My Mind’ and ‘Lead Me On’.

In 1975, McCrae released her first acclaimed hit, ‘Rockin’ Chair’, which went on to reach number nine in Billboard’s Hot 100, and number one in the R&B chart.

McCrae continued the streak with a slew of hit singles spanning funk, disco, and soul, including ‘Funky Sensation’ and ‘Keep The Fire Burning’.

As a beloved figure of the US soul scene, McCrae also found a dedicated fanbase in the UK’s burgeoning rare groove scene through the ‘80s, and was loved by many dance music artists globally.

McCrae performed regularly until the early ‘10s, before she suffered a stroke that left her paralysed on one side of her body, and unable to walk. Her last UK show was in 2012.

Read some tributes below.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter