(September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015)
Riley B. King, known by his stage name B.B. King, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
King was married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, 1946 to 1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. The failure of both marriages has been attributed to the heavy demands made on the marriage by King’s 250 performances a year. It is reported that he has fathered 15 children and, as of 2004, had 50 grandchildren. He lived with Type II diabetes for over 20 years and was a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management products along with American Idol season 9 contestant Crystal Bowersox.
King was an FAA certificated Private Pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at what was then Chicago Hammond Airport in Lansing, Illinois. He frequently flew to gigs, but under the advice of his insurance company and manager in 1995, King was asked to fly only with another certificated pilot; and as a result, King stopped flying around the age of 70.
After the cancellation of the remaining eight shows of his 2014 tour due to health problems, King announced on October 8, 2014 he was back at home to recuperate. On May 1, 2015, after two hospitalizations caused by complications from high blood pressure and diabetes, King announced on his website that he was in hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died there on May 14 at 9:40 P.M. PDT
