Legendary drummer James Gadson, who backed iconic artists including Diana Ross, Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye, has died. He was 86.
Gadson’s wife, Barbara, confirmed his passing to Rolling Stone on Thursday (April 2), noting that he had recently faced health challenges, including a surgery and a fall that injured his back.
“He was a wonderful man,” Barbara said. “He was a great husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and one hell of a drummer.”
Gadson became one of the defining funk, soul, and disco drummers of the 1970s, providing the beats on classics such as Withers’ “Lean on Me”…
