Bobby Caldwell, best known for his classic tune “What You Won’t Do for Love,” passed away Tuesday at the age of 71.
“Bobby passed away here at home. I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken,” his wife, Mary Caldwell, shared on his official Twitter page. “Thanks to all of you for your many prayers over the years."
Mary said Bobby "had been 'FLOXED,'" referring to a toxic reaction to antibiotics, noting "it took his health over the last 6 years and 2 months."
Caldwell released his signature tune “What You Won’t Do for Love” in 1978, and it peaked at nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since been covered by several artists, including Michael Bolton and Boyz II Men, and was sampled by Tupac Shakur for the 1997 posthumous track “Do For Love.”
And that isn’t the only Caldwell hit to be sampled by other artists. The Notorious B.I.G. sampled Caldwell’s track “My Flame” for 1997’s “Sky’s The Limit,” featuring 112, while the 1980 track “Open Your Eyes” was sampled by J Dilla on Common’s 2000 track “The Light.” And in 2019, Lil Nas X was sued for using Caldwell's track “Carry On” on his 2018 mixtape Nasaratti without first getting permission
In addition to his own music, Caldwell wrote songs for other artists, like Neil Diamond, Chicago and Roberta Flack, including the Amy Grant and Peter Cetera number one single “The Next Time I Fall.”