user: IN: Singer Bobby 'Blue' Bland dies at 83
updated 1:41 PM EDT, Mon June 24, 2013

Bobby "Blue" Bland performs during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2011.

(CNN) -- Singer Bobby "Blue" Bland has died at the age of 83, his son said Monday.

Bland's son Rodd told CNN that failing health had forced his dad off the stage earlier this year. "He had a hole in his stomach that had become tumorous, and it was emptying into his bloodstream."

He said Bland passed away from natural causes at his home in Germantown, Tennessee. "He was in my arms," his son said. "But I'm not going to lie. I could have used at least 20 more years."

A website in Bland's name credits the singer with being "one of the main creators of the modern soul-blues sound."

"He never b**ched about not getting his due," said his son, who formerly was a drummer in his father's band. "When I took him to Beale Street for ribs and catfish, fans would come up to him. He was always courteous, polite and kind. And humble. That's what I admired."

Bland's song "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" was sampled on Jay-Z's 2001 album, "The Blueprint."

According to his website, Bland was born in 1930 in Rosemark, Tennessee, outside Memphis. He began his career singing with a gospel group before joining the blues group the Beale Streeters, which included such future stars as B.B. King, Junior Parker and others.

Bland was drafted into the Army in 1952. After his release from the service in 1954, he resumed his musical career as a solo act and established a long-term professional relationship with Duke Records. Soon he had hits racing up the R&B charts, including "I Pity the Fool" and "That's the Way Love Is."

Bland often toured with his former bandmate King, and King was on hand to help induct the singer into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

People we lost in 2013: The lives they lived

CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report.

Part of complete coverage on

updated 8:54 PM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013

Click through our gallery to remember those we lost this year.

updated 9:41 AM EDT, Thu June 20, 2013

James Gandolfini, best known for his role as an anxiety-ridden mob boss on HBO's "The Sopranos," died while on vacation in Italy. He was 51.

updated 1:41 PM EDT, Mon June 24, 2013

Singer Bobby "Blue" Bland has died at the age of 83.

updated 7:52 AM EDT, Thu June 20, 2013

Slim Whitman, the high-pitched yodeling county music singer whose productive career spanned decades, died at age 90.

updated 3:35 PM EDT, Thu June 20, 2013

Vince Flynn, the bestselling author of political thriller novels, died after a long battle with prostate cancer, his publisher said. He was 47.

updated 11:47 AM EDT, Thu June 20, 2013

Journalist Michael Hastings, known for his 2010 profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal that led to the officer's abrupt retirement, died in a car accident in Los Angeles.

updated 2:00 PM EDT, Mon June 10, 2013

Tributes are flowing for Scottish author Iain Banks, who has died aged 59 after a short battle with cancer just days before the release of his final novel.

updated 1:51 PM EDT, Mon June 10, 2013

Esther Williams, whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to stardom on the silver screen in the 1940s and 1950s, died at age 91.

updated 12:22 PM EDT, Tue June 4, 2013

There aren't many NFL players who influenced the game like David "Deacon" Jones.

updated 10:23 AM EDT, Tue June 4, 2013

Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat associated with major legislative achievements over five terms in the U.S. Senate and the chamber's last surviving World War II veteran, died of viral pneumonia.

updated 12:08 PM EDT, Mon June 3, 2013

Actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Archie Bunker's wife in the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," has died.

updated 3:14 PM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013

The Doors' founding keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, died in Germany after a long fight with cancer at age 74.

updated 8:26 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013

Richard "Dick" Trickle -- who parlayed a legendary reputation as a short-track driver into a full-time career on stock car racing's biggest stages in the 1990s -- died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
What is a short summary of the above article?

OUT: Singer Bobby "Blue" Bland has died at the age of 83, his son said Monday.


Q: Chaz Bono Gets High Marks In First Episode Of 'Dancing With The Stars'

Chaz Bono, the transgender son of Cher, earned rave reviews from the judges and competitors for his ballroom debut on “Dancing with the Stars."

“I think there is a really good possibility [Chaz will win] because he has got so much heart,” cable news host and fellow contestant Nancy Grace said Monday night shortly after stepping off the hardwood. “He smoked it.”

Bono, 42, performed the Cha Cha with partner Lacey Schwimmer and tied for eighth place with “Queer Eye” presenter Carson Kressley.

All eyes were on Bono, who stirred up a huge controversy when it was announced last month that he would be on this year’s edition of the show.

People wondered whether the man born Chastity Bono and who underwent a sex-change operation two years ago would have the footwork to compete or just be an oddity who would make an early exit.

But it appears Chaz is in it to win it. “Great, great debut,” judge Bruno Tonioli raved. “You should be proud.”

Judge Len Goodman said the performance -- set to “Dancing in the Streets” -- was “right on time,” and featured “good footwork.”

“I think Chaz did great,” Kressley said after the show. “I think you always wonder about people who are a little bit heavier or older -- if their bodies can handle it. I am not overweight, and my knees are killing me."

“I think Chaz did great,” soap star J.R. Martinez said. “What everyone was saying could have broken him down.”

Last week, the American Family Association urged viewers to boycott the show. “This is going to be very confusing for children and [Bono] should not be included,” a spokesman said.
What are the most important parts of this text?

A:

assistant: Chaz Bono Gets High Marks in First Episode of 'Dancing With the Stars'