Bobby Caldwell, the iconic R&B singer and composer who had a hit with “What You Won’t Do for Love” in 1978, has died at the age of 71.

The soulful singer died in his wife’s arms, according to Mary.

At the time of this writing, Caldwell’s cause of death hasn’t been revealed; however, Mary Caldwell alleges that her husband died of “fluoroquinolone poisoning”.

Bobby Caldwell was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1951 but raised in Miami, Florida. Being raised in Florida, surrounded by music types such as Haitian, Latin, reggae, and R&B, affected Bobby greatly. Bobby’s parents were also in the show business industry, so his career decision came naturally.

Caldwell began playing piano and guitar at the age of ten. When Little Richard discovered him, he was on the verge of a breakout. Bobby was in a band named Katmandu at the time, and Little Richard wanted them to join his tour.

However, it did not result in a recording deal, and Bobby struggled as an artist early in his career. He played in many bands in Los Angeles and took his tunes to every big record label in town, but no one wanted to sign him. Despite his apparent potential, Bobby opted to take a step back.

“There was nothing that occurred. “I made the decision to give up and borrow money to return to Florida and leave the music business,” Bobby Caldwell told The Daily News Leader.

Later, he met Steve Alaimo, a teen idol and vocalist from the early 1960s. Steve had begun working as a producer and had instantly signed Bobby.

The talented and soulful singer would go on to make many albums and become known for his smooth voice and skill as a musician. He mastered everything from blue-eyed soul to pop, R&B, and reggae and went on to become one of the music industry’s most renowned figures.

Bobby Caldwell shot to fame in the late 1970s when his song “What You Won’t Do for Love” hit the airwaves. The jazzily mellow tune was a tremendous success when it was published in 1978, reaching the top ten on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100.

Bobby, on the other hand, was a faceless vocalist at the time. On the lovely and enigmatic cover of “What You Won’t Do for Love,” there was simply a silhouette of him.

“It was done on purpose. That wasn’t done to be smart or anything, but we wanted the song to be assessed by its substance rather than its appearance,” Bobby told the Fort Lauderdale News.

Cause of death for Bobby Caldwell
Caldwell, a multi-instrumentalist, died on March 14, 2023, at his home in the Great Meadows portion of Independence Township, New Jersey.

Mary Caldwell, who was married to him, said that he died in her arms after a long illness. He was 71.

“Bobby died in his own house. When he walked away from us, I clutched him tightly in my arms. I’ll be heartbroken for the rest of my life. ” Thank you for all of your prayers throughout the years,” his wife posted on Twitter.

Caldwell’s cause of death hasn’t been revealed, but Mary says Bobby’s health was in bad shape after he took an antibiotic that his doctor told him to take in 2017. That caused “havoc” on his physique, according to Mary.

“He was prescribed that with a runny nose and cough, and that should never have occurred, but it did, and it’s irreversible if you get struck very hard like he did,” Mary explained, adding, “It really wreaks havoc.”

May peace be with you. Thank you, Bobby Caldwell, for all of your tremendous contributions to music. You will be sorely missed; rest in peace!