Gospel Legend Andrae Crouch Dead at 72

Iconic gospel singer Andrae Crouch died yesterday afternoon, reports The Associated Press. He was 72.

The seven-time Grammy Award winner was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital last Saturday after suffering a heart attack. 

“Today, my twin brother, womb-mate and best friend went home to be with the lord,” said his twin sister and fellow pastor Sandra Crouch. “I tried to keep him here, but God loved him best.”

Crouch made waves in the music world during his career that spanned more than 50 years. He worked with music legends such as Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Elton John and Elvis Presley and produced some of the industry’s best known gospel songs. He released 18 solo albums and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His health had been declining in recent years. He survived four separate bouts of cancer, and last month, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pneumonia.

Though his ailments forced him to cancel his December shows, there was no question that he loved his art.

“I love doing music, and I plan to do it until I die or as long as I can walk to the piano,” he told ESSENCE.com in 2011. “As long as God gives me the strength to still minister and create, I’ll do it.”