Story perspectives

Soul Legend Clarence Carter Dies at 90

5/15/2026

Summary

Clarence Carter Dies

Clarence Carter, blind soul singer, died on May 13, 2026, at age 90.
He died of pneumonia, sepsis and stage 4 prostate cancer, confirmed by Rodney Hall, president of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
His hits included 1968’s “Slip Away” (No. 6 pop), 1970’s Grammy-winning “Patches” (No. 4 Hot 100), and the 1986 cult song “Strokin’”.
He married Candi Staton in 1970, had son Clarence Carter Jr., divorced in 1973, and left the Cee Gee Entertainment label.

Summary

Carter Returns

Carter’s 2024 single “Danger Point,” his first original release in four years, follows the January 2020 album Mr. Old School on his Cee Gee Entertainment label.
Run-D.M.C. sampled Carter’s 1968 track “Back Door Santa” for their holiday hit “Christmas in Hollis,” extending his influence into hip-hop.
Director William Friedkin called “Strokin’” one of the great American songs and called Carter the “Mozart of Southern Music.”

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Clarence Carter Dies

Clarence Carter, blind soul singer, died on May 13, 2026, at age 90.
He died of pneumonia, sepsis and stage 4 prostate cancer, confirmed by Rodney Hall, president of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
His hits included 1968’s “Slip Away” (No. 6 pop), 1970’s Grammy-winning “Patches” (No. 4 Hot 100), and the 1986 cult song “Strokin’”.
He married Candi Staton in 1970, had son Clarence Carter Jr., divorced in 1973, and left the Cee Gee Entertainment label.

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