Billy Preston, a soul singer and keyboardist who scored such hits as "Nothing From Nothing" and "Outa-Space" in the 1970s but was best known for sitting in on historic recording sessions with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan, died Tuesday in Arizona. He was 59.
The charismatic Preston had suffered for years from kidney-related ailments and slipped into a coma in November, according to Joyce Moore, his manager. On Saturday, his condition worsened and he was taken to a hospital in Scottsdale, she told the Associated Press.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday June 10, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Preston obituary: The obituary of Billy Preston in Wednesday's California section identified the keyboardist's "Outa-Space" as a 1973 instrumental. In fact, the song was released in 1972 and won a Grammy in 1973.
"He had a very, very beautiful last few hours and a really beautiful passing," Moore told the wire service.
Preston's renal problems were the result of his longtime drug use, which also led to some dark chapters in the 1990s, when he entered court-ordered rehabilitation and was jailed for a variety of offenses.
Those grim days stand in stark contrast to the image of Preston that holds in the public mind: With his amiable personality, toothy grin and towering Afro, Preston became a well-known character in the 1960s and '70s rock scene and a coveted player in the studio and onstage.
"Billy was a fantastic and gifted musician ... a superb singer in both recording sessions and onstage," Stones singer Mick Jagger said Tuesday in a statement. "He was great fun to be with ... and I will miss him a lot."
Elton John also praised Preston as a master of the organ and piano: "He was one of my true inspirations, one of the greatest keyboard players of all time and not too shabby a vocalist, either."
Preston had a stunning career odyssey that again and again put him in the same room with music history. He was there during the "Let It Be" session with the Beatles and not only made memorable keyboard contributions to "Get Back," but joined them in a London rooftop concert that would turn out to be the iconic band's final live performance.
"Musically, my favorite moment was on the roof for 'Let It Be,' " Preston told the Chicago Sun-Times in a 2004 interview.
Preston was also in studio sessions for Sly & the Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' On," Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks," Franklin's "Young, Gifted and Black" and the Stones epic "Exile on Main Street." Preston even showed up in a notable track listing in which he didn't perform: Miles Davis named a song in his honor on his 1975 double album "Get Up With It."
