Goodbye to Percy Sledge.

The great soul singer was 74.

A No. 1 hit in 1966, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was Sledge's debut single, an almost unbearably heartfelt ballad with a resonance he never approached again. Few singers could have. Its mood set by a mournful organ and dirge-like tempo, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was for many the definitive soul ballad, a testament of blinding, all-consuming love haunted by fear and graced by overwhelming emotion.

The song was a personal triumph for Sledge, who seemed on the verge of sobbing throughout the production, and a breakthrough for Southern soul.... Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler later called the song "a transcendent moment" and "a holy love hymn."

I've expressed my personal distaste for this recording a few times, but it was always in the context of remembering how I reacted when it came on the rock and roll station and I was only 15. That has no significance today.