Soul music pioneer Isaac Hayes -- whose 1971 "Theme from Shaft" won the Oscar and Grammys -- died Sunday in Memphis, where he lived. He was 65.
The relative discovered an unresponsive Hayes near an exercise machine in their home at midday, and Hayes was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m. when he arrived at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office tells PEOPLE. "The family had last seen him about noon," says Steve Shular, public information officer for that office. "Family members had gone to the grocery store and left him home. When the family came home around 1, his wife's cousin found him lying on the floor in the basement near a treadmill. The treadmill was running, so it is believed that he had been working out."
Although the hospital is still determining the cause of death, Shular says Hayes most likely died of natural causes. "There doesn't seem to be any foul play," says Shular. "We don't see anything suspicious about his death. There will be a further statement from the hospital about the cause of death." |