Lyn Collins, R.I.P.

Singer Lyn Collins Dies at 56
AP
LOS ANGELES - Lyn Collins, whose funky vocals landed her a spot in James Brown's stage show and the nickname "Female Preacher," died of cardiac arrhythmia Sunday, said her son. She was 56.

Collins, whose voice also was sampled in the 1980s hip-hop hit "It Takes Two," died Sunday night at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, her son Bobby Jackson said Monday.

Collins, who lived in Abilene, Texas, was visiting the Los Angeles area after having returned from a tour in Europe last month. She was due to start touring again next month.

Collins took up singing as a teenager. At 14, she married a man who worked as the local promoter for the James Brown Revue. Brown heard Collins sing and in 1970 she was invited to join his traveling show.

Her powerful voice led Brown to nickname her the "Female Preacher," and two years later, she cut her first solo album, "Think (About It)." In 1975, Collins released "Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me By Now."

Over the years, Collins' songs have also appeared in various compilations, but it was hip-hop duo Rob Base & D.J. E-Z Rock who exposed Collins' work to a new generation when they sampled one of her songs for their 1988 hit "It Takes Two."