Allen Toussaint, New Orleans music legend, dies at 77

Celebrated R&B musician Allen Toussaint has died at the age of 77 after suffering a heart attack in Madrid, Spain.

In a testament to the reach of Toussaint’s influence, a variety of artists from New Orleans and beyond have honored the legend via social media.

“As I grew up and paid more attention to pop music, I noticed that Toussaint was responsible for writing numerous songs I heard on the radio and liked, ” Morrison said in an email.

In this Saturday, June 13, 2009, photo, Allen Toussaint… As America attempted to at once mourn the tragedy and make sense of the botched response, Toussaint emerged as a central figure, someone whose life and career pointed to just how much New Orleans had given over the years and how much it had recently lost. When the group struck out on its own, Toussaint was a natural choice to produce. Allen’s first recording (for RCA) as Al Tousan included his song “Java”, which became a Number One hit for Al Hirt in 1964.

In the last 10 years of his life, he moved back into the spotlight, tirelessly performing in clubs and at festivals around the world – including an annual appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival – and getting the acclaim he deserved.

Numerous songs he penned spawned famous cover versions, reimagined by legendary artists such as Bo Diddley, The Rolling Stones and Robert Plant.

“Ruler of My Heart”, Irma Thomas (1963): The bond between Toussaint and Thomas was ever-lasting, and this sultry performance stands up to the fevered remake it inspired, Otis Redding’s “Pain in my Heart”. “But soon, there were artists who were coming from everywhere who wanted to work with him”, Thompkins says.

He recruited members of the Meters, a pioneering funk band that was working at the Bourbon Street club the Ivanhoe, to serve as Sansu’s and Sea-Saint’s house band. In 2013 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama.

In 2005, hurricane Katrina destroyed his home and his studio in New Orleans, leading him to spend more time on the road. “It was astounding how he could create a song and arrange it and wrap it around a particular performer”. “He died doing what he loved, and that’s bringing joy to people through music”. Both HARRY SHEARER and NEW ORLEANS native HARRY CONNICK JR., also posted messages.

“Louis Armstrong, Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, he’s left a legacy that in many ways can’t be touched”, Breashears said. He knew find out how to pay attention and by no means offended.

Tributes poured in from across the music world. With Toussaint’s passing, Davis said, “it’s a little like that for New Orleans”.

Born in 1938, Toussaint grew up in the working class New Orleans neighborhood of Gert Town where he taught himself how to play piano, the NY Times reported.