Isaac Hayes, Academy and Grammy Award winner, died this afternoon at the age of 65.

His music, which came to be known as urban-contemporary, paved the way for disco as well as romantic crooners like Barry White. And in his spoken-word introductions and interludes, Hayes was essentially rapping before there was rap. His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."

"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes -- the expression ... the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."

The video above is the wonderful Isaac Hayes version of "Walk On By," the Burt Bacharach song made famous by Dionne Warwick. You can go here if you prefer to remember Hayes by listening to his award-winning "Theme From Shaft."

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