The Cause of Death Was Not Known For Isaac Hayes

Stars including Dionne Warwick and Gloria Gaynor have paid tribute to the soul legend Isaac Hayes, who died at his home in Memphis aged 65.Speaking to US TV show Access Hollywood, Warwick said: "I've lost one of my best buddies and it is not easy to reckon with."Gaynor called him "a gentleman and an extremely warm and talented artist", who she "respected and admired".He was taken to hospital after he was found unconscious next to a treadmill.In 1985 Gaynor recorded one of Barry White's songs, You're The First, The Last, My Everything, for Hayes.I will miss him and his contribution to the entertainment world and to human kind "I will miss him and his contribution to the entertainment world and to human kind," she said. Portishead sampled Hayes' Ike's Rap on their breakthrough single Glory Box in 1994.

Speaking to BBC News, the band's Adrian Utley said: "It was just cool as hell. We had Isaac Hayes records hanging around. It's purely sonic, it sounded so good. It was just immediately a very cool track."I would say we've definitely got him to thank, because had he not written that tune we wouldn't have sampled it and the basis of the music that you hear is his." Hayes, a flamboyant, deep-voiced performer, won an Oscar for the 1971 hit Theme From Shaft.He was perhaps better known to a younger audience as the voice of Chef from the hit cartoon show, South Park. The cause of death was not immediately known.