Kevin Bronson on September 23rd, 2017

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Charles Bradley, the charismatic soul singer whose late-blooming career saw him release his debut album at age 62, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 68.

Bradley, a Florida native dubbed the “Screamin’ Eagle of Soul,” had battled stomach cancer in 2016 but returned to touring this year. Early this month, he canceled local festival appearances when it was discovered the cancer had returned and spread to his liver.

Born on Nov. 5, 1948, in Gainesville, Bradley moved to Brooklyn at age 8, eventually living in Maine, Alaska and the Bay Area. According to a statement from his publicist, he died today in Brooklyn surrounded by family and friends, including members of the bands he worked with: Menahan Street Band, His Extraordinaires, Budos Band and the Jimmy Hill Allstarz (the band who backed him as Black Velvet).

Bradley sang with extraordinary passion, digging deep to mine the emotions of his hardscrabble upbringing and lifetime of struggles. After working as a cook and doing odd jobs, he spent a decade and a half as the James Brown impersonator Black Velvet before being discovered by Daptone Records, which released his debut album “No Time For Dreaming” in 2011. “Victim of Love” followed in 2013, and Bradley’s latest, “Changes,” was widely praised upon its released last year.

He inspired feverish devotion among fans. His appearances in the L.A. area remain the stuff of legend: The 2011 show at the Echo when he was first becoming a phenomenon; his dynamic night at the Santa Monica Pier in 2014; his glittery main-stage set at Coachella in 2015; his wild turn at FYF Fest last year; and his emotional comeback performance after his first bout with cancer this summer at Arroyo Seco Weekend, where there was scarcely a dry eye in the park.

Bradley requested that memorials go to the All-Stars Project and Music Unites.