Bill Withers, the legendary singer and songwriter, died from heart complications on Monday, according to the Associated Press, at age 81.
The news broke on Friday, with so many tributes coming in for the man who wrote or co-wrote hits including Lean on Me, Lovely Day, Ain’t No Sunshine and Grandma’s Hands.
It reminded me of a great moment captured on video from 2009. Back then, USC’s football team — with Pete Carroll at the helm — had linebacker Marquis Simmons lead the team with a rendition of Lean on Me.
So Carroll invited Withers to come speak with the Trojans, and when he did, he hid who he really was, telling the team there was a fungus spreading around locker rooms. Then, he informed everyone they were being “punked, big time.”
He then played the piano while Simmons sang:
What a wonderful moment. And what a song.
