R&B star Freddie Jackson, voice of 'Rock Me Tonight', dies aged 70
Freddie Jackson, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer behind 'Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)' and 'You Are My Lady', has died aged 70. His family announced the death on Tuesday; no cause was disclosed.
R&B singer Freddie Jackson has died aged 70, his family announced on Tuesday.
In a statement posted to Jackson’s Instagram account, his family said the Grammy-nominated singer “went home to rest” on Monday night, three days after his 70th birthday. “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Freddie Jackson,” the statement, signed “the Freddie Jackson family”, read. No cause of death was disclosed, and details of funeral arrangements will be shared in the coming days, according to the family.
Jackson was one of the defining voices of 1980s R&B, scoring a string of chart-toppers including “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)”, “You Are My Lady”, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” and “Jam Tonight”. He earned Grammy nominations across his career and remained a fixture of the quiet-storm genre for four decades.
In 2024 Jackson announced he had been diagnosed with kidney disease and partnered with the National Kidney Foundation to raise awareness, saying at the time he hoped to face the illness “with openness and resilience”.
Tributes poured in online from fans and fellow public figures, including professional wrestler Elijah Burke, known as Da Pope, who wrote: “Another Legend Gone…Another Legacy left behind.”
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