The news was broken this morning on his Facebook page.
One of the quintessential American songwriters, the Oklahoman was a chart regular in his own right for over 40 years, and also supplied hits for the likes of Randy Crawford, Waylon Jennings, Carlos Santana, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton who adopted Cale’s ‘Cocaine’ as one of his trademark tunes.
“We’ve lost a great artist and a great person tonight. JJ Cale passed away at 8:00 pm on Friday July 26 at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA,” the message reads. “He had suffered a heart attack. There are no immediate plans for services. Donations are not needed but he was a great lover of animals so, if you like, you can remember him with donations to your favorite local animal shelter.”