Bill Withers, known for acoustic soul hits "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine," died Monday of heart complications, his family said Friday.

American soul singer who enjoyed huge success with hits such as Lean on Me and Ain’t No Sunshine

The career of Bill Withers, who has died aged 81 of heart complications, followed an unusual trajectory. He did not try to enter the music industry until after he had spent nine years in the US Navy, leaving the service in 1965 and moving to Los Angeles two years later. By the time he released his debut album, Just As I Am, in 1971 he was 33, an age at which many pop careers have already been and gone.

But Withers made up for lost time. His album was packed with memorable songs, including Harlem and Grandma’s Hands, and entered the US Top 40. Ain’t No Sunshine, his first single, reached No 3 and became one of the landmark songs in his career, despite lasting a scant two minutes. Inspired by Blake Edwards’ gruelling 1962 film about alcoholism, Days of Wine and Roses, it has become an enduring anthem of loneliness and heartbreak.

Stevie Wonder paid tribute to the late Bill Withers and delivered a riveting rendition of his song Lean On Me during the One World: Together At Home coronavirus concert on Saturday.