Isaac Hayes dies aged 65

Soul singer Isaac Hayes has died at the age of 65. The pioneering musician, whose Theme From Shaft won an Oscar was found dead yesterday by a family member. He had collapsed near a treadmill in his home, but the cause of death has not been announced. Mr Hayes suffered a stroke in 2006.

Isaac Hayes was one of the dominant black musicians of the early 1970s, along with Stevie Wonder, Al Green and James Brown. His distinctively deep voice anticipated romantic crooner Barry White and his funky musical style laid the foundations of genres such as disco.

Hayes was born in 1942 in a tin shack in Covington, Tennessee, about 40 miles north of Memphis. His musicianship was self-taught. In later life he became known to a new generation as the voice of Chef in the cartoon TV show South Park.