American disco and soul vocalist, musician, bandleader, songwriter, and producer. Born: 6 September 1947 in Watts, Los Angeles, California, USA. Died: 16 December 1988 in San Francisco, California, USA. Performing under his first name only, he is considered one of the first Hi-NRG artists and the first “male diva” of disco. He died in 1988 from complications due to AIDS..