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Soul and Funk singer Jean Knight has died at the age of 80

(SOUNDBITE OF JEAN KNIGHT SONG, "MR. BIG STUFF")

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Michel Martin.

Soul and funk singer Jean Knight has died at the age of 80. The New Orleans native was best known for her 1971 hit single, "Mr. Big Stuff." The song reached No. 2 an the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy in 1972.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MR. BIG STUFF")

JEAN KNIGHT: (Singing) Who do you think you are, "Mr. Big Stuff"?

MARTIN: Even 50-plus years after its debut, the song still makes an appearance in soundtracks, advertisements and as a sample in tracks by artists like John Legend.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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