Billy Preston dies at 59

June 7, 2006

Musician, a so-called "", died in at the age of 59 after a long illness.

A native of, , Preston played while in his teens with , and.

He later backed up the, playing keyboards on ', ' and . He also played on the hit Beatles single "."

As a soloist, Preston topped the record charts in the early 1970s with "Outta Space," "Will It Go Round in Circles," and "Nothing from Nothing."

He joined the Rolling Stones on tour and backed them up on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and "Heartbreaker."

He also wrote the hit "," and collaborated with, , , and.

He won two, including one for his involvement in the Concert for , staged by ex-Beatle in 1971. Last year, in one of his final appearances, Preston performed in with former Beatle  and Harrison's son,.

Plagued by drug and alcohol abuse, Preston had scrapes with the law on narcotics and other charges. He suffered from chronic kidney failure, and had been in a coma since November.