RIP: Etta James
 

The R&B singer passed away after fighting leukemia since 2010.

Singing legend Etta James dies at 73 - CNN.com

:( Rip, another great voice silenced.

A sad day. Thank you, Etta, for one of the most beautiful songs of all time...

Never been a big jazz fan, or a particular Etta James fan, but I always remember her because of a cool experience I had.

She was the performer one night at the House of Blues in Hollywood, which is right off of Sunset Avenue and is a pretty famous club. I had never been there, and never really heard of Etta James (gimme a break, I was 22 or so). It was just a bunch of us friends going out on the town, and we got seats in the upper area of the club. I didn't know at the time that the upper area, right before the concert, actually opens up (the floor moves and a wall drops off, revealing a view to the stage area), so that was kind of a trip. That happened, and then we watched Etta James perform from a opera balcony height type of perspective. Pretty neat.

So I always remember Etta James for that alone. That and I also discovered Malibu Bay Breezes that night, which remains one of my favorite drinks.

So RIP Etta. I'll drink a Malibu Bay Breeze in your honor in the near future.