Sad news hit the music world this weekend as the beloved soul, blues and jazz singer, Etta James, passed away at the age of 73.

Etta James had unfortunately lost her battle with Leukaemia which she had been fighting for nearly a year - after only having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008 and contracting MRSA in 2010. In December 2011 her doctors confirmed that her cancer was terminal.

Famous for her distinctive singing voice and hit singles such as, ‘At Last’, ‘Tell Mama’ and ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’, her career spanned over 60 years.

Etta’s achievements include being placed on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Throughout her career she won four Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement award and was nominated for twelve.

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in LA, California in 1938, where she began singing at her local church at the age of five. In 1950 she moved to San Francisco with her mother where she formed a girl group. She then met Johnny Otis, who then managed the group, then called the ‘Creolettes’, which he changed to ‘Peaches’. Johnny Otis gave her the stage name of Etta James by reversing her real name; she then eventually left the girl group to go solo.

Etta had an incredible life, but along with her successes she had many low points including substance abuse and having to go to rehab, a psychiatric hospital and jail. She also had a constant battle with her weight, being 27 stone at her heaviest therefore having to perform on stage in a wheel chair on many occasions.

Even with her deteriorating health Etta James still performed up until 2010 and her final TV performance was in 2009. She released her final album in 2011 ‘The Dreamers’.

Etta James died in Riverside, California, on Friday January 20, 2012, with her husband and two sons by her side.