LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY has died at the age of 64.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY, the American soul icon best known for her 1980 smash hit 'Love Sensation', has passed away at the age of 64, reports the New York Post.
The Chicago-born singer had been battling a period of ill health and she died from heart failure yesterday (21st March 2011) according to her manager Ron Richardson. As well as 'Love Sensation', Holloway had also enjoyed commercial success with the disco song 'Hit and Run' and she successfully sued the UK dance act 'Blackbox' after the group sampled her work without credit. Her sound had influenced a number of high-profile singers, including Whitney Houston who sampled one of Holloway's tracks for her 2009 single 'Million-Dollar Bill'. The singer-turned actor Mark Wahlberg also sampled the soul icon on his 1991 number-one hit 'Good Vibrations'.
Tributes for LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY have already begun pouring in, most notably on Twitter where the DJ Giles Petersen posted a message of condolence. The singer Boy George told his followers, "God rest your soul Loleatta Holloway, you were the greatest voice and I loved you! R.I.P".