R&B vocalist Ernie K-Doe died yesterday of liver failure at University Hospital in New Orleans. He was 65.
Born Ernest Kador Jr., he scored a No. 1 pop and R&B hit in 1961 with the Allen Toussaint-penned single “Mother-In-Law.” His “A Certain Girl” was covered by the Yardbirds and Warren Zevon, among others.
Doe continued to perform regularly up until his death, appearing every Sunday night as his nightclub in the Big Easy, the Mother-in-Law Lounge. The artist established the club in 1994 as a place for the city’s living legends to perform, and spent the past few years “on the path to sobriety after living in an alcoholic haze for years,” according to his biography on his official Web site.
According to the site, his widow Antoinette Fox “is determined to tirelessly keep his music alive.” To that end she has asked that interested fans send contributions to the Mother-in-Law Lounge (1500 N. Claiborne Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116).
