Soul music pioneer Ray Charles, 1930-2004.

Institute of Jazz Studies

Ray Charles and NPR’s Marian McPartland.

Vanguard Photography

American blind musical icon Ray Charles died Thursday of complications from liver disease at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 73.

Known as “The Genius” since the early 1950s, Charles started out primarily as a jazz and blues pianist and singer in the style of his early musical idols such as Nat “King” Cole and pianist Charles Brown. But over his more than 50 years in show business, Charles built a career that defied genre, bringing his soulful voice, keyboard prowess and songwriting talent to the pop, country and R&B charts.

Among the first musicians to blend the emotional power of gospel music with secular themes, Charles won 12 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award in 1987. His songs “Hit the Road Jack,” “What’d I Say” and “Georgia on My Mind” have become American classics. In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.