Soul legend and actor Isaac Hayes is dead.
Hayes passed away at his Tennessee home at 65. He was found unresponsive next to a still moving treadmill. Multiple attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. The cause of Hayes’ death is yet to be determined.
Hayes earned multiple Grammys and the first original score Oscar won by an African- American composer for his score (and best-selling theme) for Shaft (1971).
He also appeared as an actor in several “blaxploitation” films including Truck Turner, I’m Gonna Get You Sucka and John Carpenter’s Escape from New York among others.
The music icon is best known to a new generation as the voice of Chef on South Park but Hayes left the show in 2006 after the infamous “In the Closet” episode which mocked Scientology – of which Hayes was a member.
