Sharon Jones has died at age 60 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
A statement on she and her band The Dap Kings’ official Facebook page confirmed the news.
“She was surrounded by her loved ones, including the Dap-Kings. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts during this difficult time,” the post read.
A documentary about Jones’ health struggles and triumphant return to music — “Miss Sharon Jones” — is currently making awards rounds, directed by Oscar winner Barbara Kopple. In 2014, she was nominated for her first Grammy, for the R&B record “Give the People What They Want.”
The film is nominated for multiple Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Association’s inaugural Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards including Best Music Documentary, Best Song in a Documentary and Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary.
Jones’ story was certainly movie grist. Well into adulthood she worked as a corrections officer at Rikers Island prison and as an armored car driver for Wells Fargo Bank. Her big break came in 1996, where she landed a gig as a backup singer in pro recording sessions, which she parlayed it into stardom. Her musical style reached back to 1960s soul and ’70s funk.
Jones had a small role in Denzel Washington’s 2007 film “The Great Debaters.”
The official statement from her Facebook page:
We are deeply saddened to announce Sharon Jones passed away today after a heroic battle against pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by her loved ones, including the Dap-Kings. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts during this difficult time.