Jerry Butler, R&B singer and early leader of the Impressions, dies at 85

Jerry Butler, who recovered R&B stardom successful the precocious 1950s arsenic the archetypal pb vocalist of the Impressions earlier moving connected to a solo vocation and a 2nd beingness successful Chicago politics, died Thursday. He was 85.

His decease was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, which cited a household person and said that Butler (who had Parkinson’s disease) died astatine his home.

Nicknamed “The Iceman,” Butler sang successful a coolly knowing baritone that hinted astatine the passions of religion and romance portion putting crossed a consciousness of reassurance that present was a feline who knew what to bash successful immoderate fixed situation. Among his dozens of hits — galore of which helium co-wrote — were the Impressions’ debut single, “For Your Precious Love”; “He Will Break Your Heart”; “Make It Easy connected Yourself”; “Let It Be Me”; and “Only the Strong Survive,” which reached No. 4 connected Billboard’s Hot 100 successful 1969 and inspired consequent renditions by Elvis Presley, Skeeter Davis, Billy Paul, Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen, among others.

In 1970, “Only the Strong Survive” was nominated for R&B opus astatine the Grammy Awards, portion Butler’s medium “The Ice Man Cometh” — produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, architects of the lush Philly psyche dependable — received a motion for champion R&B vocal performance. Butler enactment much than 50 songs connected Billboard’s R&B chart, including 18 successful the Top 10. As a subordinate of the Impressions — which helium formed with his teen person Curtis Mayfield, who took implicit arsenic the group’s pb vocalist erstwhile Butler near successful 1960 — Butler was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame successful 1991, fractional a decennary aft helium was elected to a spot connected the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He held the presumption until helium retired successful 2018.

Butler was calved to sharecropper parents connected Dec. 8, 1939, successful Sunflower, Miss., and moved astatine property 3 with his household to Chicago. He and Mayfield sang unneurotic successful religion and toured arsenic members of a gospel outfit earlier starting the Impressions. The radical scored a woody with Vee-Jay Records successful 1958 and released “For Your Precious Love,” which Otis Redding and Jackie Wilson aboriginal covered.

Jerry Butler performs astatine New York’s Apollo Theateraround 1965.

(Don Paulsen / Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)

After leaving the Impressions successful Mayfield’s attraction — the radical went connected to assistance soundtrack the civilian rights question with specified songs arsenic “Keep connected Pushing” and “People Get Ready” — Butler topped the R&B illustration connected his ain with “He Will Break Your Heart,” which helium co-wrote with Mayfield and featured Mayfield connected guitar and backing vocals. Butler reached No. 11 connected the Hot 100 successful 1961 with a debonair mentation of “Moon River”; successful 1965, helium and Redding co-wrote “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” which became a wide interpreted psyche standard. By the extremity of the ’60s, Butler had struck up a fruitful concern with Gamble and Huff that presaged the occurrence that duo would find successful the ’70s.

Butler concisely reunited with the Impressions successful the aboriginal ’80s — Mayfield died successful 1999 astatine property 57 — and helium continued to execute amid his duties arsenic a politician. His euphony was sampled by the likes of Method Man, J Dilla and Pusha T; Springsteen utilized “Only the Strong Survive” arsenic the rubric way for his 2022 R&B covers LP, which besides included a instrumentality connected Butler’s “Hey, Western Union Man.” Butler’s woman Annette Butler, who sometimes performed with her husband, died successful 2019. According to the Sun-Times, his survivors see their 2 sons, 4 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.