Edwin Starr, who sang 'War,' dies in England at 61

LONDON--Edwin Starr, the soul artist who sang the No. 1 Motown hit"War," died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday, his manager said.He was 61.

In the 1970 hit, Mr. Starr roared, "What is it good for?Absolutely nothing!"

Mr. Starr died at his home near Nottingham, England, said managerLilian Kyle.

Last year, Starr, from the Motown stable and similar in style toJames Brown, sang at the wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest. Healso had performed with Bruce Springsteen, who covered "War."

Born Charles Hatcher in Nash-ville, Tenn., Mr. Starr formed hisfirst group, the Future Tones, in 1957. In 1965, he was offered asolo deal. Early hits included "Agent Double-O Soul" and "Stop Her onSight (S.O.S)." But his biggest success came in 1970 with theVietnam-era protest song "War." Other top 10 hits included "Twenty-Five Miles" and "Contact."

Mr. Starr, who made a comeback during the disco craze, later spentmost of his time touring Europe on the oldies circuit. Last weekend,he performed in Stuttgart, Germany.

"His death has come as a total shock," said Paul Carvell, afriend. "His health hasn't been brilliant recently, but he kept thataway from most people and continued to give it his all when heperformed."

AP