The Whispers’ Nicholas Caldwell Has Died

Nicholas Caldwell pictured far right

Nicholas Caldwell, co-founder of the long-running R&B group the Whispers, has died. According to a representative for the band, he died at home of congestive heart failure, AP reports. He was 71.

The Whispers’ biggest hits were “And the Beat Goes On,” “Rock Steady,” and “It Just Gets Better With Time.” While some of their best known work was released in the 1970s and 1980s, the band got their start in 1964. The band have been playing live consistently, including a set on Saturday in Hammond, Indiana, Entertainment Weekly reports.

?uestlove posted a tribute to Caldwell on Instagram, writing:

First week of the New Year didn’t even pass and we are already losing so many legends. rip to #NickCaldwell of #TheWhispers. be it you were a lover of soul in the 70s or 2 stepped to many barbque classic of theirs (many platinum albums folks do research) in the 80s & 90s—or you posted many a gif on your page from the #KeepOnLovinMe video—somehow you came across his magic without even knowing it. They took the Doo-Wop cornerstore/bathroom harmony of the 50s/60s, took the Soul of the 70s & the smooth elegance of the 80s and served it well—no chaser. Although they were denied true pop accolades they still made an impact. Hitting a stride in 79 hooking up with #LeonSylvers & pretty much acting as his Trojan Horse for the sound of a genre called Boogie (think of a slowed down disco like “Before I Let Go” & “Rock With You”–non aggressive disco smooth enough that your grandparents gets down to it) this is a sad sad loss man.