Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008[1]) was an American
soul and funk singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger,
composer, and actor. Hayes also acted in motion pictures and television; from 1997 to 2006, he provided the voice for the character "Chef" on the Comedy Central animated TV series South Park.On March 20, 2006, Roger Friedman of Fox News reported that Hayes had suffered a stroke in January. Hayes spokeswoman Amy Harnell denied that Hayes had a stroke, but on October 26, 2006 Hayes himself confirmed that he did.Hayes was found unconscious in his home located just east of Memphis, Tennessee on August 10, 2008 as reported by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. A Shelby County Sheriff's deputy responded to Hayes's home after his wife found him on the floor near a still-running treadmill. Hayeswas taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where he was pronounced dead at 2:08pm at the age of 65. The cause of death was not
immediately known,though authorities subsequently listed stroke as the
cause of death.At the time of his death, he was preparing his first new studio album since 1995.He was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis.
