Before Michael Bolton made ‘When a man loves a woman’ a household staple, Percy Sledge sung the original in 1966.

The 74 year old died in his Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home on Tuesday. He had been battling liver cancer for a while now, and finally succumbed to the battle.

He underwent surgery for the condition in 2014, and had been performing consistently despite his ailments.

Percy was born in November 1940 and had several odd jobs before his breakthrough with the 1966 hit. He spawned several other hit songs, attaining legendary status with his career spanning several decades.

Luckily, the song lives on forever; so people would always remember who Percy Sledge was.