Solomon Burke, one of the most renown vocalists in soul whose popularity never caught up to his greatness, died early Sunday at the airport in Amsterdam, his family said in a statement. He was 70.
His family did not say exactly why he died on a plane at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Burke had just arrived on a flight from Los Angeles to play at a sold-out Amsterdam concert hall.
Burke influenced the likes of Marvin Gaye and James Brown, though he himself never achieved a commensurate level of commercial success. His best-known songs are so because of their use in movies: "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," was in "The Blues Brothers," and "Cry To Me," which was featured in one of the most memorable scenes from "Dirty Dancing."