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Soul and Funk singer Jean Knight has died at the age of 80

(SOUNDBITE OF JEAN KNIGHT SONG, "MR. BIG STUFF")

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Michel Martin.

Soul and funk singer Jean Knight has died at the age of 80. The New Orleans native was best known for her 1971 hit single, "Mr. Big Stuff." The song reached No. 2 an the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy in 1972.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MR. BIG STUFF")

JEAN KNIGHT: (Singing) Who do you think you are, "Mr. Big Stuff"?

MARTIN: Even 50-plus years after its debut, the song still makes an appearance in soundtracks, advertisements and as a sample in tracks by artists like John Legend.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.