R&B star James Ingram passes away at 66

Grammy Award winner James Ingram. INQUIRER FILE / POCHOLO CONCEPCION

MANILA, Philippines — American R&B star James Ingram has passed away at 66.

His longtime friend, actress Debbie Allen confirmed the news of his passing in a tweet on Wednesday.

I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir. He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name.❤️ pic.twitter.com/TDJfpbbJWa

— Debbie Allen (@msdebbieallen) January 29, 2019

“I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir. He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name,” Allen wrote.

Ingram is a two-time Grammy winner, bagging the best male R&B performance for his song “One Hundred Ways” in 1981 and best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for “Yah Mo B There,” a duet with Michael McDonald, in 1985.

He also earned back-to-back Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for best original song with “The Day I Fell In Love” from film “Beethoven’s 2nd” and “Look What Love Has Done” for film “Junior” in 1994 and 1995, respectively. /cbb