Flamboyant funk music pioneer Rick James, a dynamic performer famed for the sensuous 1981 dance hit "Super Freak (Part 1)" as well as a descent into drugs and crime, died in his sleep Friday morning of natural causes, officials said.
James, 56, the self-proclaimed "icon of drug use and eroticism," battled a crack-cocaine habit for years. He had been in fragile health since suffering a stroke in 1998 after bursting a blood vessel at a concert in Denver.
He sometimes required help walking, but was in upbeat spirits as recently as late June when he received a lifetime achievement award at a music industry dinner in Beverly Hills.
"I'm Rick James, bitch," he defiantly proclaimed at the event, echoing the catchphrase used in a skit by cable TV comedian Dave Chappelle.
A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to a radio call of a natural death at a house near Hollywood at 9:45 a.m., and found James' body. There were no plans for an autopsy, said an official for the Los Angeles County Coroner.
James, who was born James Johnson, Jr. in Buffalo, New York, was infamous for his outrageous behavior. His stage image -- outlandish hair braids, extravagant costumes and spiky guitars -- prompted comparisons with colorful funk artists like Sly and the Family Stone and George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic.
After an early stint as a sideman in various bands, including a 1960s combo that featured Neil Young , James enjoyed break-out success in 1978 with the solo debut album "Come Get It!," which sold two million copies. A string of hit singles followed, including "You and I," "Mary Jane" and "Give It To Me Baby."
"It was the best time of my life," James told Reuters last year. "We were doing groundbreaking tours, and a lot of drugs and drank a lot. We didn't know anything about Betty Ford or addiction in those days. It's hard to reflect and remember those times. They are very vague to me -- a lot of it is a haze."
Indeed, James became a hooked on crack-cocaine and began a long descent into disgrace. In 1993, he was sentenced to five years in prison (serving three) for assault and false imprisonment stemming from two grisly incidents.
In 1991, James and his then 21-year-old girlfriend, Tania Hijazi, beat up and tortured a masseuse he had accused of stealing drugs from his mansion. The woman was tied naked to a chair, burned with a hot knife and a lighter and forced to perform oral sex on Hijazi.
In 1992, James and Hijazi beat up and held captive a female record label executive in a hotel on the Sunset Strip.
James and Hijazi, who also went to prison, married upon his release in 1997. He immediately set about staging a musical comeback, and had just completed an album. His last performance was at the BET Awards in Hollywood in July, when he played his hit "Fire & Desire" with protegee Teena Marie. James is survived by three children and two grandchildren.
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R.I.P Mister Charles.....