On This Day, Nov. 13, 2016 …
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell died in his sleep at age 74.
His songs, including “Superstar,” “A Song for You,” “Delta Lady” and “This Masquerade,” were big hits for other artists, and he worked with everyone from Bob Dylan and Joe Cocker to George Harrison and The Rolling Stones.
In 2010, Elton John, who called Russell a “mentor,” helped revive Russell’s career with their joint album, The Union, which earned a Grammy nomination for best pop collaboration with vocals for the song “If It Wasn’t for Bad.”
In 2011, Russell was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “A Song for You” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.
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