New York – Wilson Pickett, the soul-music pioneer best known for the fiery hits “Mustang Sally” and “In the Midnight Hour,” died of a heart attack Thursday in a Reston, Va., hospital, according to his management company. He was 64.
The company said Pickett had been suffering from health problems for the past year.
“He did his part. It was a great ride, a great trip; I loved him, and I’m sure he was well-loved, and I just hope that he’s given his props,” his son Michael Wilson Pickett said in Washington.
Pickett – known as the “Wicked Pickett” – became a star with his soulful hits in the 1960s. “In the Midnight Hour” made the top 25 on the Billboard pop charts in 1965, and “Mustang Sally” did the same the following year.
“A fellow Detroiter, Wilson Pickett was one of the greatest soul singers of all time,” Aretha Franklin said in a statement. “He will absolutely be missed. I am thankful that I got the chance to speak to him not too long ago.”
Pickett was defined by his raspy voice and passionate delivery. But the Alabama-born Pickett got his start singing gospel music in church. After moving to Detroit as a teen, he joined the group the Falcons, which scored the hit “I Found a Love” with Pickett on lead vocals in 1962.
He went solo a year later. In 1965, he linked with legendary soul producer Jerry Wexler at the equally legendary soul label Stax Records in Memphis, Tenn., and recorded one of his greatest hits, “In the Midnight Hour,” for Atlantic Records. A string of hits followed, including “634-5789,” “Funky Broadway” and “Mustang Sally.”
Roger Friedman, a journalist and friend who featured Pickett in his 2002 documentary on soul greats, “Only the Strong Survive,” said Pickett was “really Atlantic’s answer to James Brown.”
“He wrote his own songs. … He was very very musically adept, and look at his contribution,” Friedman said.
Pickett suffered through some tough times. In 1991, he was arrested for allegedly yelling death threats while driving a car over the mayor’s front lawn in Englewood, N.J., and less than a year later was charged with assaulting his girlfriend.
In 1993, he was convicted of drunken driving and sentenced to a year in jail and five years’ probation after hitting an 86- year-old man with his car. In 1987, he was given two years’ probation and fined $1,000 for carrying a loaded shotgun in his car.
Besides his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, he was also given the Pioneer award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
Friedman said he had just spoken to Pickett last week and he seemed optimistic he would be able to put his recent health troubles aside and perform again.
“We had just a great talk,” he said. “He really wanted to get back to business.”
