Blues Singer Clarence Carter Dies at 90

Clarence Carter, the blind blues and soul singer-songwriter celebrated for hits like "Patches" and the provocative "Strokin'," died Wednesday at age 90 near Atlanta, Georgia.

A spokesman for his former wife, singer Candi Staton, confirmed the death to multiple outlets, attributing it to natural causes. Other representatives cited complications from pneumonia and sepsis following a recent stage four prostate cancer diagnosis. Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where Carter recorded many of his signature tracks, announced the news Thursday on social media, calling him "more than an artist to us" and "family."

Born January 14, 1936, in Montgomery, Alabama, Carter was blind from birth and taught himself guitar by ear, inspired by blues records. He earned a music degree from Alabama State College in 1960 and briefly taught school before launching his career. He first gained notice in a duo with fellow blind musician Calvin Scott, known as Clarence & Calvin or the C.C. Boys, but went solo after Scott's serious car injury in the mid-1960s.

Carter's breakthrough came at Fame Studios under producer Rick Hall during the late-1960s soul explosion. His 1967 single "Tell Daddy"...