Isaac Hayes Died of Stroke: Doctor

A doctor who was treating Isaac Hayes has listed the soul singer’s cause of death as stroke.

Hayes, who died Sunday after being found unresponsive in his home, had been receiving treatment from family physician Dr. David Kraus for high blood pressure.

According to paperwork filed by Kraus, the 65-year-old singer was ultimately felled by a stroke brought on by chronic hypertension.

Hayes was known for helping to bring soul music into the mainstream with his 1969 release “Hot Buttered Soul,” and was also behind the award-winning “Theme from Shaft.”

He reached a new generation of fans as the voice of Chef on “South Park,” though he parted ways with the TV series under acrimonious circumstances in 2006 after it satirized his Scientology religion.

Despite that, show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have paid tribute to the singer with a message on the cartoon’s website reading: “In Memoriam Isaac Hayes: 1942-2008.”

Hayes’ family has also announced that a public memorial service will take place Aug. 18 in Cordova, Tenn., and thanked the public for their support in a statement.

“We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac’s dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayer,” they said.

“While he was an iconic figure to many, to us he was husband, father and friend. We will ever miss his love, wisdom, humor and the familiar comfort of his voice.”

Hayes, who also acted in film and TV, recently played himself in the movie “Soul Men,” which is scheduled to hit theatres in November. The comedy stars Bernie Mac, who also died this past weekend.


Grammy Musician Isaac Hayes Dies at 65

Isaac Hayes – whose 1971 “Theme from ‘Shaft’” won the Oscar and Grammys – died Sunday. He was 65.

According to People magazine, Hayes was discovered by a relative near an exercise machine at home. He was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m. when he arrived at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis.

“The family had last seen him about noon,” says Steve Shular, public information officer for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. “Family members had gone to the grocery store and left him home. When the family came home around 1, his wife’s cousin found him lying on the floor in the basement near a treadmill. The treadmill was running, so it is believed that he had been working out.”

Shular continues to say that Hayes most likely died of natural causes.

”There doesn’t seem to be any foul play,” says Shular. “We don’t see anything suspicious about his death. There will be a further statement from the hospital about the cause of death.”

In January 2006, it was reported that Hayes suffered a mild stroke. Family members said the singer had recently been treated for various medical conditions.

Besides being elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, Hayes was also well-known for voicing “South Park’s” character, Chef.


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