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Well-known singer, songwriter, record producer, and musician Thom Bell passed away on December 22 at the age of 79. The news was disclosed by his attorney Michael Silver.
Musician Gail Ann Dorsey expressed her grief on a social media post featuring Bell’s picture. Gail disclosed in the post that she was raised in West Philly in the '60s and '70s when Bell was reigning over the music industry. She said that he was the reason why she decided to pursue a career in music, and ended the post by writing:
“To this day it remains a part of me that I will carry forever… Thank you, Mr, Thom Bell. The world is a better place because of the genius you shared. May you Rest In Harmonious Peace. #philadelphia #phillysound #greatsongwriters.”
Record producer and composer Nile Rodgers also shared a picture of Bell and said that he sends his condolences to Bell’s family and friends. He continued:
“He was the architect of the relationship between #BernardEdwards & me as we were the band for the group New York City (I’m Doing Fine Now) a #ThomBell smash.”
Bell’s cause of death has not been revealed yet, but his publicist confirmed that he passed away at his residence in Bellingham, Washington.
"Father of the Philly soul sound": Netizens pay tribute on Twitter
Thom Bell gained recognition all these years for his flawless work as a musician. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise:
Thom Bell became popular as an arranger and composer
Born on January 26, 1943, he joined Cameo Records at the initial stage of his career and worked on a few songs for the vocal group, The Delfonics. He also arranged for several artists from the music industry.
Bell worked for the musical group, The Stylistics, during the '70s. He released three albums in collaboration with lyricist Linda Creed and singer Russell Thompkins. Jr. Thom and Linda worked on several other singles that received decent feedback from the audiences.
Thom then joined the rhythm and blues vocal group, The Spinners. With his help, the group released five albums that were certified gold. He collaborated with Dionne Warwick on a song called Then Came You, which topped the Billboard charts.
Bell worked on a few tracks with Deniece Williams, James Ingram, Elton John, and a few others. His collaborations led to the release of several hit singles like It’s Gonna Take a Miracle, I Don’t Have the Heart, The Thom Bell Sessions, and more.
Across his entire career, Thom produced 27 singles with different bands and artists. This includes Pass Me By, La-La (Means I Love You), You Are Everything, I’ll Be Around, I’m Doing Fine Now, Rockin’ Roll Baby, Mighty Love (Part I), Mama Can’t Buy You Love, and more.
Thom is survived by his wife Vanessa and his six children.
