ISAAC Hayes, the pioneering American singer, songwriter and musician, has been found dead at his Tennessee home aged 65.
Hayes's�most famous moment in music was probably his�Theme From Shaft, which�won Academy and Grammy awards.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said a family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill today, the Associated Press reported.
He was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis.
AP said the cause of death was not immediately known.
In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the school cook and ladies man on the animated TV show South Park.
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