At Last
Enshrined in our memories, this earthy blues singer whose career inspired countless numbers of women like Tina Turner, Beyonce and Cyndi Lauper, passed away this morning at the age of 73 due to complications from leukemia. Born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 to a teenager mother in South Los Angeles during WWII, Etta was placed into foster care for a time till she was reunited with her biological mother at the age of 12. Her talents displayed themselves at quite an early age (5 or 6); she stood out in the African American community not only because of her soulful voice but also because of her blonde curls and light skinned complexion.
According to the National Cancer Institute more than 40,800 adults and out of those, approximately 4,500 Americans are diagnosed with leukemia every year. Leukemia is cancer of the blood. There are four commonly seen forms of this disease, each named for the type of blood cell it affects and becomes cancerous. They are:
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
Leukemia develops when the bone marrow (from which most blood cells develop) begins to produce abnormal white blood cells. White blood cells are cells that help to combat infections. The abnormal cells are dubbed leukemia and unlike normal blood cells, leukemia cells don’t die when they should. They may begin to `crowd out` normal blood cells of all kind making it difficult for other cells to perform their functions properly. The goal of any treatment for leukemia is to destroy those blood cells; many of the courses of treatments depend on the type of diagnosed leukemia as well as how old you are, chemotherapy is the most common course of therapy.
Unfortunately these courses of treatments did not work for the late great Etta James; she will be greatly missed by people worldwide. Music is a common language for us all and today, we have lost one of its greatest speakers. Rest in Peace Etta.
Etta James at the New Orleans Jazz and heritage Festival in April 2006
(Photo courtesy of Jeff Christensen/Associated Press)