Just read this. Great loss to soul music.  

Source ... ?

An Irish guy named Jerry Butler has definitely just passed away. Our soul guy ?

7 minutes ago, Roburt said:

An Irish guy named Jerry Butler has definitely just passed away. Our soul guy ?

And that was a year ago ... 

20 minutes ago, Paul Capon said:

Just read this. Great loss to soul music.  

Where have you seen this Paul?

Rare Soul Talk fb page. 

Hope it’s untrue - you can never tell with social media at the moment

Lots on FB, sadly it's true.

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Ian Parker

17 minutes ago, Ian Parker said:

Lots on FB, sadly it's true.

Apparently his wife has posted/announced.

Can find nothing online other than a couple of 'reports' on FB , I personally prefer a more reliable source , his demise was touted on Soulful Detroit in 2018 and that was false.

6 minutes ago, Agentsmith said:

Apparently his wife has posted/announced.

Annette passed in 2019.

35 minutes ago, Woodbutcher said:

Annette passed in 2019.

Well in that case even that suggestion is misinformation, if we're being played it's decietful in the least. Prefer for it not to be true as i'm sure we all would

8 minutes ago, Agentsmith said:

Well in that case even that suggestion is misinformation, if we're being played it's decietful in the least. Prefer for it not to be true as i'm sure we all would

A somewhat more reputable source than Farcebook methinks ... https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/9/30/20892400/annette-butler-jerry-iceman-cook-county-board-commissioner-bunny-smith-trio-obituary

Hopefully untrue, you would have thought the passing of one of the soul greats would have by now been put out on a reliable source.

22 minutes ago, Woodbutcher said:

A somewhat more reputable source than Farcebook methinks ... https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/9/30/20892400/annette-butler-jerry-iceman-cook-county-board-commissioner-bunny-smith-trio-obituary

Err - this post is from 2019 and was the last time Jerry’s death was incorrectly posted. 

2 minutes ago, Paul Capon said:

Err - this post is from 2019 and was the last time Jerry’s death was incorrectly posted. 

Well that's because it's an archive page on the site ffs , I'm merely pointing out that Annette died in 2019 and therefore would have had a job reporting Jerry's passing on FB as per a previous posts claim ...  

Exceptional talent, irreplaceable 

Marshall Thompson of the Chi lites has made an official post

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=jerry butler

    it seems very true,  judging by all these posts.   very sad news.  

https://www.tmz.com/2025/02/21/jerry-the-iceman-butler-dead/

R.I.P. Jerry, one of the true greats.

Big faves of mine below

 

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Shinehead

R.I.P Jerry.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Kenb

Hearing "One night affair" was a landmark moment for me. It got me buying Blues and Soul and starting a journey into the land of soul msic.

A singer with a distinctive voice of velvet.

Mr Butler, thank you for all your wonderful output during your distinguished career.

May your soul and voice rest with the angels.

Very apt sentiment from the Ice Man. JB RIP

 

Jerry Butler RIP

One of the great emotive voices of our music, Moody Woman and Good Times played after many a lost love have been  constant companions from my early days of collecting.

    thank you for your company Sir, RIP.

A true giant of Soul music.The Iceman is one of my fav voice , feel like loosing a close friend

thank you for everything  

 

This is awful news, as Valentina says above;

A true GIANT of Soul music!

Rest in Peace Jerry Butler.

One of the very best. RIP

 

 

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Thinksmart

Indeed as @Valentina said earlier a true giant of Soul music.

We have lovely memories of seeing him perform many times at Blues Alley in DC

 

 

Regards Paul & Mandy

 

 

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Soul Shrews
can"t upload YT clip

6 hours ago, Shinehead said:

https://www.tmz.com/2025/02/21/jerry-the-iceman-butler-dead/

R.I.P. Jerry, one of the true greats.

Big faves of mine below

 

Not wanting to gate crash but on the site that you've posted it also says that Henry Farnborough the last surviving original member of The ( Detroit ) Spinners also passed away on Wednesday, also aged 85 . RIP Henry .

As everyone as said before me , Rip Jerry " The Ice man " Butler not just a great singer but a very helpful politician too .

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Happy Feet

Oh blimey, Henry Farnborough too. The Spinners are pivotal from 60s right up to decades later. RIP

Today's Guardian has a feature on the passing of Jerry . Jerry Butler, soul hitmaker and Illinois politician, dies aged 85 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/21/jerry-butler-iceman-soul-singer-illinois-politician-dies-aged-85?CMP=share_btn_url

Edited February 22Feb 22 by Happy Feet

 Moody Woman was one of the tracks that sparked my interest in Northern.  But over time I became aware of a wide ranging catalogue of top quality soul.  IMHO one of the greats.

R.I.P Jerry

Good version of this if not quite on a par with Mr Callier!

Another talent gone. Listened to his Mercury sides first (Moody woman, What’s the use of breaking up, You walked into my life) and later on moved to his Vee-Jay stuff. “I don’t want to hear it anymore” is a particular favourite (still need that sleeve!) RIP 

I honestly thought Jerry Butler had been dead around 6.years ago, I’m so glad he stayed with us a while longer a great artist with a great voice.will be remembered forever

RiP Jerry

ML

 

For me Jerry's version of this Van McCoy classic hits the spot. Superb vocals and arrangement that tight as a drum. Wonderful. Jerry RIP and thank you.

Mike 

Another great passes.

What a catalogue the man left us with.

A tragic weekend for soul fans, but mainly for the surviving family and friends of three giants of our music.

First heard Jerry Butler's voice when singing For Your Precious Love with the Impressions (Falcon 1013 - 1958) on a Vee Jay album released in 1963.

Particular favourites are Giving Up on Love (cited by two others), Hey, Western Union Man and Let's Make Love on Phil Int from 1978.

 

 

Two absolute classics by Jerry not mentioned so far:

 

 

Plus of course... his version of Right Track unissued at the time

 

Edited February 26Feb 26 by Thinksmart

In addition to the ones with video links above there are others unmentioned. One example of course is (I'm Just Thinking About) Cooling Out - perhaps his last great song.

The albums with Thelma Houston were great too - Find A Way, Let's Get Together, Don't Pity Me, Only The Beginning are all excellent, catchy Modern Soul dancers. 

Edited February 26Feb 26 by Thinksmart

Sorry to read this sad news of another great singer from my generation.  They're ALL passing on and however more years until they are all gone, and I am too, along with them, is going fast and will come before I'd want it to.  That's a fact of life, and we have to accept it.  But it is sad, nonetheless.