‘What You Won’t Do for Love’ singer Bobby Caldwell dies

NEW JERSEY

Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a major hit in 1978 with “What You Won’t Do for Love” and a voice and musical style adored by generations of his fellow artists, has died, his wife said on March 15.

Mary Caldwell said that he died in her arms at their home in Great Meadows, New Jersey, on March 14, after a long illness.

He was 71.

The smooth soul jam “What You Won’t Do for Love” went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on what was then called the Hot Selling Soul Singles chart. It became a long-term standard and career-defining hit for Caldwell, who also wrote the song.

The song was covered by artists, including Boyz II Men and Michael Bolton, and was sampled by Tupac Shakur on his posthumously released song “Do For Love.”

Other Caldwell songs were sampled by hip-hop artists including The Notorious B.I.G., Common, Lil Nas X and Chance the Rapper.

Stories abound, many of them shared on social media after his death, of listeners being surprised to learn that Caldwell was white and not Black.

Caldwell appeared only in silhouette on the self-titled debut solo album on which “What You Won’t Do for Love” appears.

In the 1990s, Caldwell shifted to recording and performing American standards, including songs made popular by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, he loved in his youth.