Donny Hathaway
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2013) Donny Hathaway Background information Birth name Donny Edward Hathaway Also known as Donny Pitts Born (1945-10-01)October 1, 1945 Chicago, Illinois, US Origin St. Louis, Missouri, US Died January 13, 1979(1979-01-13) (aged 33) New York City, US Genres Chicago soul, soul, jazz, gospel, R&B, blues Occupation(s) Musician songwriter, arranger, conductor, producer Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards Years active 1966–1979 Labels Curtom, Atco Associated acts Lalah Hathaway Roberta Flack Curtis Mayfield Leroy Hutson Earth, Wind & Fire Quincy Jones Website Donny Hathaway Website Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American jazz, blues, soul, and gospel vocalist and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music." His collaborations with Roberta Flack scored high on the charts and won him the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the duet, "Where Is the Love" in 1973. At the height of his career Hathaway was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was known to not take his prescribed medication regularly enough to properly control his symptoms.[citation needed] On January 13, 1979, Hathaway's body was found outside the luxury hotel Essex House in New York City; his death was ruled a suicide.