DEATH,” RAY CHARLES TOLD ME when he first learned that cancer was devouring his body, “is the one motherfucker that ain’t ever going away.” I met Ray Charles in 1975, when he agreed to let ...

Here, on Ray Charles’ 84th birthday (he was born Sept. 23, 1930, in Albany, Ga., and died June 10, 2004, in California), LIFE.com presents a selection of Ray’s photos—many of which never ran ...

Ray Charles and David Ritz Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story Da Capo ISBN: 0306814315 2005. If the widely heralded and Oscar-nominated biopic Ray wrapped Ray Charles' extraordinary life in somewhat ...

After Early Hardships, Ray Charles Continues To Make Beautiful Music. ... His brother drowned in front of him. He lost his mother at 15. And he used drugs for a while.

The film Ray creates a narrative of Charles’ mental health struggles that is rooted in guilt over witnessing his brother’s death. Charles was only five years old when the tragedy occurred, and ...

“Tom played bass on a half dozen Frank Zappa albums, and as well of the last 10 years with Ray Charles. I met Tom and his brother Walt when I was 20 years old.