The legendary singer/songwriter JJ Cale passed away in a California hospital on Friday (26 July) after suffering a heart attack at his nearby home, leaving behind a legacy that wont soon be forgotten. The Grammy-winning singer, guitarist and songwriter, who was 74-years-old when he passed away, was responsible for a string of hits that were made famous after being covered by some of the biggest names in rock music, including Tom Petty, Santana and most famously of all; Eric Clapton.


Since his passing last week, tribute have been pouring in from those wishing to pay their respects to the great musician, a man who helped invent the laid back and much-copied Tulsa Sound, a combination of country, blues and rock. Documentarian Louis Theroux shared his favourite Cale track in his online tribute, whilst one of Cale's many collaborators Tom Petty shared a backstage picture of the two from 2009, with the Twitter hashtag #RIPJJCale embedded into the Tweet. Actress Daryl Hannah also gave her respects with the simple statement "RIP JJ Cale... peace xo" uploaded to her Twitter feed over the weekend.


The news of Cale's death was confirmed through a statement released on to his official website the day he died. "We've lost a great artist and a great person," the statement began, going on to explain the the reason behind his death and reveal that no plans to hold a memorial service have been made yet. "JJ Cale passed away at 8:00 pm on Friday July 26 at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA. He had suffered a heart attack. There are no immediate plans for services."


Revered by his contemporaries and often cited as 'the songwriter's songwriter,' Cale was responsible for a slew of solo hits as a recording artist, however his real talent was in writing music for other people, a talent that Cale recognised himself and would often refer to himself as a songwriter first and a singer last.

Despite being active in the music scene for at least a decade before hand, Cale first tasted famed when Eric Clapton covered his track 'After Midnight,' with a record deal and his first album shortly following. Although he never achieved mainstream success as a solo artist in his own right, Cale became a cult favourite and continued to pen hits for Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Johnny Cash and a host of others, all whilst holding his own as the founder of the Tulsa Sound, releasing fourteen solo albums to hone the genre, from 1972's Naturally until 2009's Roll On.

Eric Clapton
Clapton often worked alongside Cale