Silenced: Isaac Hayes

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Animation, Cable, Editorial

Older generations know him as the smooth, deep-voiced singer who won countless awards for the Shaft theme song. Younger generations remember him as South Park’s Chef, that singing Lothario who dispensed earthy advice with cafeteria-created Salisbury steak. He was Isaac Hayes, and sadly he was silenced this past Sunday at the age of 65.

Hayes was pronounced dead in Memphis, TN after being found by a family member in his home. Hayes first gained attention in 1969 for his unique look and mellow tones in the album “Hot Buttered Soul.” Hayes even did some rapping on the album, long before the genre itself existed. But it was the Shaft theme song which helped rocket Hayes to lasting success in 1971. “That was like the shot heard round the world,” Hayes recalled during an interview conducted in 1999. Hayes performed the song, decked out in gold chains, for the 1972 Oscars ceremony (he received a standing ovation for the performance). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

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