Jerry Butler, the soul singer known as “The Iceman” and a longtime Cook County commissioner, has died at the age of 84.
Butler’s smooth baritone voice made him a defining figure in R&B music, while his decades of public service left a lasting impact on the Chicago community.
Born in Sunflower, Mississippi, Butler moved to Chicago as a child, where he would later rise to fame as a founding member of The Impressions. His deep, emotive vocals on the group’s first hit, For Your Precious Love, set the stage for a prolific solo career, which included hits such as Only the Strong Survive, Hey, Western Union Man, and He Will Break Your Heart…