Funk Icon Carl Carlton Dead At 73

R&B and funk icon Carl Carlton died at the age of 73.

Carlton’s son, Carlton Hudgens II issued a statement December 14 on social media announcing his death. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton, singer of ‘She’s a Bad Mama Jama,’” he wrote alongside a photo of the late musician. “Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.”

The famous singer was best known for hits “She’s a Bad Mama Jama,” and “Everlasting Love.”

Hudgens also shared a photo of Carlton on his Facebook stories, writing, “R.I.P Dad, You can finally rest now. Always love you.”

Carlton began his career in music in the 60s and started off under the name “Little Carl Carlton.” He became known as Carl Carlton in 1971 after releasing his hit single “I Can Feel It,” and reaching the top of the Billboard Soul Singles Chart. His song “Everlasting Love” made it to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. The song has reached over 25 million streams on Spotify.

His song “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” was his signature hit in 1981, leading Carlton to a Grammy nomination. The song has over 100 million streams on Spotify. The single was sampled by many other artists and was used in soundtracks for several films, including “Miss Congeniality 2” and “Fat Albert.” It was also featured on the hit sitcom “Friends.”

The singer suffered a stroke six years ago, according to Soultracks.com.

Funk group Confunkshun paid tribute to Carlton on Facebook by writing, “His voice, talent, and contributions to soul and R&B music will forever be a part of our lives and the soundtrack of so many memories.” (RELATED: Iconic ‘General Hospital’ Star Anthony Geary Dies At 78)

“Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world. Rest in power, Carl. Your legacy lives on.”