Soul legend Edwin Starr has died at the age of 61.
The US-born star - known for his hits War and Contact - is thought to have died of a heart attack.
Starr lived for many years in the UK and died at his home in the Midlands, his manager Lilian Kyle said.
Suzi Quatro, who has known Starr since she was a teenager in Detroit, led the tributes.
She said: "He was the best. There was nobody better on stage and he was the nicest man you could ever wish to meet."
Starr was born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee and formed his first group, The Future Tones, in 1957, recording one single before his three-year Army draft.
He was offered a solo deal in 1965. His biggest success came with his outspoken single War, a US number one in 1970 and number three in the UK.
Starr has continued to be a live favourite at soul weekenders. He performed a pair of shows in Stuttgart, Germany, at the weekend.
Rainer Haas, Quatro's husband and the promoter of the Stuttgart shows, said: "He was just superb. He played to 16,000 people over the two nights and he put on a great show.
"The shows were actually recorded for television so we will have an enduring memory of how brilliant he was live."
The US-born star - known for his hits War and Contact - is thought to have died of a heart attack.
Starr lived for many years in the UK and died at his home in the Midlands, his manager Lilian Kyle said.
Suzi Quatro, who has known Starr since she was a teenager in Detroit, led the tributes.
She said: "He was the best. There was nobody better on stage and he was the nicest man you could ever wish to meet."
Starr was born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee and formed his first group, The Future Tones, in 1957, recording one single before his three-year Army draft.
He was offered a solo deal in 1965. His biggest success came with his outspoken single War, a US number one in 1970 and number three in the UK.
Starr has continued to be a live favourite at soul weekenders. He performed a pair of shows in Stuttgart, Germany, at the weekend.
Rainer Haas, Quatro's husband and the promoter of the Stuttgart shows, said: "He was just superb. He played to 16,000 people over the two nights and he put on a great show.
"The shows were actually recorded for television so we will have an enduring memory of how brilliant he was live."
