Pitchfork

The Associated Press has just reported that Rick James is dead, ending a 40-year career in which the singer, producer and instrumentalist spent his share of time on the charts and in the headlines. James died at 9:45 am this morning in a Los Angeles home. An LAPD spokesperson, Officer Esther Reyes, said, "He died apparently of natural causes. We learned of his death after responding to a radio call."

Rick James started his career in the mid-60s as part of Motown's The Mynah Birds (briefly sharing stage space with Neil Young!) but didn't quite hit it big until 1981's Street Songs, the source of his immortal "Super Freak". After "Super Freak"'s success, James became a substantial part of the Motown machine, releasing several more solo albums throughout the 80s and producing a Temptations reunion.

As the decade ended, James entered a bad patch; he later told Bankrate.com that he'd spent $7,000 per week on cocaine for five years running. He also found himself in court for two drug-related assaults on women, which resulted in a $2 million civil judgment against him, and time in Folsom State Prison. In 1997, he released his final album, Urban Rhapsody, but was plagued on tour by a stroke and hip problems.

James's status as pop culture icon was recently validated by the success of a skit about him on Dave Chappelle's Chappelle's Show, which means this whole generation of teens may not have known who Rick James was-- they may not even know his music, except via MC Hammer's sampling of "Super Freak" on "U Can't Touch This"-- but they know that he liked saying "I'm Rick James, bitch!" Rest in peace, dude.