Soul icon Clarence Carter dead at 90
Soul singer Clarence Carter has died aged 90.
Carter’s death has been confirmed by Rodney Hall, president of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a studio which the late singer regularly frequented, to Rolling Stone.
The publication also cites a spokesperson for Carter’s ex-wife, Candi Staton, who revealed that he had recently been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer, as well as battling pneumonia and sepsis.
Carter was born blind in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1936, and established himself in the late 1960s thanks to his breakthrough single, ‘Slip Away’, which charted at sixth position on the Hot 100. Later that year, he went one step better when ‘Back Door Santa’ reached fourth spot on the pop chart.
Then, Carter released his defining song, ‘Patches’, in 1970, which also peaked at fourth place in the chart. For him, this piece of music was his career pinnacle, stating in 2010, “I think ‘Patches’ really etched me into the music world. Where people are probably going to remember me for a long time to come. Which I always wanted — but I never knew it would happen that way.”
‘Patches’ also won him a Grammy for ‘Best R&B Song’ in 1971.
Growing up blind, music was a lifeline for Carter, who was also self-taught, once telling NME, “Since I lost my sight, music has not only entertained me and earned me my livelihood, but it has been a tremendous comfort to me. When I’m down and feeling low, I just get out my guitar and sing.”
Prior to finding fame, he cut his teeth on the club on the Alabama club circuit with fellow blind musician Calvin Scott. While their venture didn’t lead to commercial success, it put him on the path to greatness at a later date.
Sadly, as tastes changed, however, in the ’70s, Carter found his popularity dwindle by the middle of the decade when his hits dried up.
His brand of music was hardly radio-friendly, either, which didn’t help him gain mainstream success, but Carter never toned down the raunchiness. This would pay off majorly in the late 1980s when ‘Strokin’, despite being too crude for radio, launched him back into relevancy, and sold over a million and a half copies.
Outside of music, Carter married Candi Staton in 1970, and together, they’d go on to have their son, Clarence Carter Jr, before divorcing as a result of his infidelities in 1973.
Staton once said of their ill-fated marriage, “I was angry Clarence had done me so wrong chasing women. We could be walking down the street and they’d come and hug him. I sang them to get back at him.”
Nevertheless, they remained on positive terms, with Staton writing on Facebook in 2025, “Clarence Carter was an amazing husband and is such a brilliant man. I have fond memories with him.”
Carter is survived by his two children, Clarence Carter Jr and Herbert Deon Wilkerson.
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