Former Santana vocalist Alex Ligertwood dies at 79

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

Singer Alex Ligertwood, best known for providing lead vocals for Santana over several decades, has died.He was 79.Ligertwood’s wife and agent, Shawn Brogan, announced in a Saturday evening Facebook post that the vocalist died at his Santa Monica home.“It’s with great sadness and heartache to announce the passing of my sweet dear Alex Ligertwood, my husband of 25 years, we knew each other for 36 years,” Brogan wrote.

“Alex passed peacefully in his sleep with his doggy Bobo by his side yesterday.”Ligertwood’s cause of death was not revealed.“Alex was loved by so many.If you knew him, you loved him.

He touched so many with his extraordinary voice.He was all heart and soul,” Brogan’s statement continued.

“His favorite thing in life was to make music, sing and to share his gift with us.He performed his last show just two weeks ago.

I’m grateful for that.He did it his way, on his terms, till the end.”The singer had five separate stints as Santana’s lead vocalist between 1979 and 1994.

He famously served as the group’s singer when it performed at Live Aid in 1985.His voice was notably featured on the tracks “You Know That I Love You,” “Winning,” “All I Ever Wanted” and “Hold On.” Ligertwood also co-wrote such songs as “Somewhere in Heaven” and “Make Somebody Happy,” among others.Aside from his contributions to Santana, Ligertwood played alongside guitar legend Jeff Beck as part of the Jeff Beck Group in the early ‘70s.

He also played in jazz-rock keyboardist Brian Auger’s band Oblivion Express.Music The civic pride and good will here in the afterglow of the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium was reminiscent of the uplifting mood in Los Angeles during the Olympics.

Auger, who has played with Rod Stewart and Jimi Hendrix, paid tribute to Ligertwood in a Facebook post Saturday evening.“To me, Alex aka ‘Wee Eck’ was si...