Gil Scott-Heron, ‘Godfather of Rap’, dies at 62

• Tweet
• 
• 

• Tweet

NEW YORK (AFP) – The legendary US musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron, known as the “Godfather of Rap,” has died in New York at the age of 62, his recording company announced.

The musician, best known for his song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, died Friday at a New York hospital, according to XL Recordings.

Born in 1949, Scott-Heron first gained fame for his poetry and spoken word performances in the late 1960s.

His early albums, “Pieces of a Man” and “Winter in America”, have been credited with influencing future hip hop musicians.

But it was his 1970 recording of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” that made Scott-Heron famous.

Much of Scott-Heron’s music reflected his struggle with an addiction to drugs and alcohol.