Troy Smith
Jean Knight, a legendary American singer that saw tremendous success from her 1971 hit ‘Mr. Big Stuff’, has reportedly died at the age of 80. Knight reportedly died on November 22nd, her family confirmed. She passed away in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
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People reports on her death…
“Mr. Big Stuff” singer Jean Knight has died aged 80.
Knight, whose iconic 1971 song topped the charts for five weeks, died in her hometown of New Orleans last Wednesday, her family confirmed in a statement shared by New Orleans broadcaster LBJ on X (formerly known as Twitter) Sunday.
The singer died of natural causes, TMZ reported. Knight’s death was also confirmed by her friend Bernie Cyrus to Rolling Stone.
“New Orleans and the music world moves the loss of one of its most treasured, musical daughters, Jean Knight, he departed this world on November 22, 2023, at the age of 80,” Knight’s family shared in their statement. “Ms. Knight, a native of New Orleans, became an integral part of the city’s musical legacy.”
Knight recorded her first demo track, a cover of Jackie Wilson’s “Stop Doggin’ Me Around,” at age 22 in 1965. She secured her first record deal soon after with the Jet Star/Tribe label.
Despite this, her career was slow to take off and she combined singing with working a day job as a baker until she found major success with “Mr. Big Stuff”, which was released by the iconic Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Grammy-nominated song is one of the most recognizable classic funk records of all time and has gone on to sell over three million copies, according to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, per Rolling Stone
https://people.com/jean-knight-mr-big-stuff-singer-dead-at-80-8406711
