R&B soul legend Isaac Hayes was found dead near his treadmill this afternoon in his Memphis, Tennessee home. The famed Scientologist, best known for his work on the Shaft soundtrack and as the voice of Chef on South Park, was 65-years old.

A family member found the entertainer next to a running treadmill at about 1 p.m. Sunday, said Steve Shular, spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Hayes, born Aug. 20, 1942, was rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m.

Hayes’ wife, their 2-year-old son and another family member had gone to the grocery store around noon, Shular said. When they returned, they found Hayes unresponsive.

Rescue workers responded to a 911 call, and they performed CPR at Hayes’ home at 9280 Riveredge in the eastern part of Shelby County, near Forest Hill Irene and Walnut Grove.

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was born in Covington, Tennessee and raised by his grandparents after the deaths of his parents. He was a child music prodigy who could play several instruments by the age of ten. He went on to become one of the most famous composers of soul, R&B, and funk rock.

The Late Great Isaac Hayes

[images: WENN]

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