Syl Johnson, R&B singer heavily sampled in Hip-Hop, dead at 85

CHICAGO — Chicago blues and soul icon Syl Johnson has died at the age of 85, his family confirmed in a statement issued Sunday.

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“A fiery, fierce fighter, always standing for the pursuit of justice as it related to his music and sound, he will truly be missed by all who crossed his path. His catalog and legacy will be remembered as impeccable and a historical blueprint to all who experience it,” the family stated.

Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Johnson staked his claim within the Chicago blues scene, later earning induction into the Soul & Blues Hall of Fame in 2019, WBBM-TV reported.

Known for 1960s hits including “Come On Sock It to Me,” Johnson’s “Different Strokes” from 1967 became one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop music, earning features in tracks by Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, the Wu-Tang Clan and Public Enemy, among others, Billboard reported.

“One of the most sampled artists of our time, his music served as the soundtrack for some of our most poignant moments in history,” his family, including his Grammy-nominated daughter Syleena Johnson, stated.

According to Billboard, Johnson put music aside in the 1980s and founded Solomon’s Fishery, a fried fish restaurant that later became a largely Chicago-area chain. More than two decades later, he teamed up with Chicago-founded archival label Numero Group, which released a retrospective of his work. The 2010 boxed set, “Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology,” earned two Grammy nominations, the entertainment news outlet reported.

Johnson’s family did not provide his cause of death, which came days after his brother, fellow blues artist Jimmy Johnson, died at 93, WBBM-TV reported.

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