Australian soul singer, Renee Geyer, has died at the age of 69.
Geyer’s family said in a statement that she died as a result of complications from hip surgery, according to Dailymail.
“While in hospital, it was discovered that Renee also had inoperable lung cancer,” the statement reads.
“‘She was in no pain and died peacefully amongst family and friends.
“Naturally we are all utterly devastated.
In the 1970s, Geyer, known for her gruff voice, became well-known in the public.
She identified herself as a 65-year-old black male from Alabama sounding like a white Hungarian Jew from Australia.
She started her solo career with a self-titled album in 1973 after recording an album with the jazz-rock combo Sun the previous year.
In a 2022 interview with ABC Radio Adelaide, Geyer recounted coming to terms with the fact that she was a natural talent.
‘It wasn’t a big thing that I could sing, it’s just when other people started thinking I was really great,’ she said.
‘People’s mouths opened agape. I started thinking, “Well, I must be pretty good.”
‘So I just started doing it for a living and it was enjoyable and I kept doing it and people kept asking me back.’
In her music career, she worked with the likes of Sting, Chaka Khan and Joe Cocker as a backing vocalist.
Following her death, colleagues and fans have mourned the celebrated singer.
Fellow musician, Marcia Hines, described Geyer as “a gamechanger. A soul diva. My sister in song.”
“Heart felt condolences to her family and friends, and to the Australian music industry as a whole who have just lost a person who possessed one of the greatest voices I have ever heard,’ Hines said on Twitter.