Bill Withers has died, The Associated Press reports. According to The AP, the legendary soul singer-songwriter, behind enduring hits like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me,” and “Lovely Day,” died from heart complications on Monday, March 30. He was 81 years old.

Born in rural West Virginia, Bill Withers endured poverty and heartbreak from an early age, with his father dying when he was 13. After a stint in the Navy, Withers moved to the Bay Area, and in his late twenties he took up the guitar and began to make music. Soon enough, he attracted the attention of noted black music executive Clarence Avant, who signed him to a record deal.

Over the span of eight years, Withers recorded seven studio albums, beginning with Just as I Am in 1971 and followed by Still Bill in 1972. He released just one final album, 1985’s Watching You Watching Me, in his brief but influential career.

Withers’ legacy extended beyond his recording career. “Lean on Me” became the title theme of a 1989 Morgan Freeman film. And Withers was the subject of the 2009 documentary Still Bill. His music was also widely sampled in hip-hop: Famously, Blackstreet and Dr. Dre sampled Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands” for “No Diggity,” and Kanye West sampled “Rosie” for Late Registration’s “Roses.”

Bill Withers was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. “I really don’t have the personality to do this all the time,” he said after the ceremony. “I’m not that outgoing. I’m rather shy—I’d rather hide. I never danced. I hid behind the guitar. So it’s all life, you know, as long as you're doing something.”