‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ singer, Percy Sledge, dies at 73

American R&B soul singer, Percy Sledge, known for the famous song, When a Man Loves a Woman, has died of liver cancer.

Steve Green from talent agency Artists International Management Inc confirmed to the BBC that Sledge died at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday.

He described the singer as a wonderful man

“He was one of my first acts; he was a terrific person and you don’t find that in this business very often. He was truly a standout,” Steve said.

Sledge had to pull out of touring commitments in January 2014 after he was diagnosed with liver cancer, but he soon resumed touring just two months later, after surgery.

Released in 1966, the classic song When a Man Loves a Woman  was his first record and became the defining hit of Sledge’s career.

Sledge claimed to have co-written his signature song from hard experience. As the story goes, he worked as a former hospital orderly and performed on weekends with an Alabama band called the Esquires Combo. When his girlfriend left him to seek a modelling career in New Jersey – with his best friend – Sledge, channelled his heartbreak and made up a song about it on the spot at a gig with his band.

Sledge’s other hits include Warm and Tender Love, It Tears Me Up, Take Time to Know Her and Cover Me.

In 2005, Sledge was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sledge died aged 73 and is survived by his wife and children.