Syl Johnson, Chicago soul and blues artist, dies at 85

By SOPHIA TAREEN
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Syl Johnson, a Chicago soul singer and blues artist whose work was sampled by top hip-hop artists, has died at age 85. A statement Sunday from his family calls him a “fiery, fierce fighter” and says his musical work is a “historical blueprint to all who experience it.” Family members did not say when he died or give a cause of death. His death comes days after his brother, fellow blues artist Jimmy Johnson, passed. Syl Johnson was known for his hits in the 1960s including “Come On Sock It To Me.” But it was his 1967 song “Different Strokes” that was sampled in the following decades by artists including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Tupac Shakur and Public Enemy.