Rick James, the funk star best known for his 1981 hit 'Super Freak', has died in Los Angeles, aged 56.
He died in his sleep on Friday of natural causes, according to police and the singer's representative.
James, whose life was blighted by drug addiction, had suffered a stroke in 1998 and had been in poor health since.
'Super Freak' was sampled on MC Hammer's global hit 'U Can't Touch This' and James' work could also be heard on tracks by Will Smith, LL Cool J, Mary J Blige and Ashanti.
James served three years in prison in the early 1990s for the assault and false imprisonment of two women.
