Jerry Butler, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Nominee, Dies at 85

Jerry Butler, a premier soul singer of such hits hits as “For Your Precious Love,” “Only the Strong Survive” and “Make It Easy On Yourself,” has died at age 85.

Butler’s niece, Yolanda Goff, told The Associated Press that Butler died Thursday of Parkinson’s disease at his home in Chicago.

Butler was a three-time Grammy Award nominee and helped found the Chicago-based Impressions. He sang lead on their hit “For Your Precious Love.” In the late ‘60s, he joined the Philadelphia-based production team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who worked with him on “Only the Strong Survive,” “Hey Western Union Man” and other hits. His albums “Ice on Ice” and “The Ice Man Cometh” are regarded as early models for the classic “Sound of Philadelphia.”

Butler collaborated with Otis Redding on “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” a signature ballad for Redding; and with Gamble and Huff on “Only the Strong Survive,” later covered by Elvis Presley among others. His other credits included “For Your Precious Love,” “Never Give You Up” (with Gamble and Huff) and “He Will Break Your Heart,” which Butler helped write after he began thinking about the boyfriends of the groupies he met on the road.

Butler ran successfully for the Cook County Board in 1985 and was re-elected repeatedly. He retired from the board in 2018.

Butler chaired the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which offers a wide range of assistance to musicians, and pushed the industry to provide medical and retirement benefits.