Legendary soul singer Percy Sledge dies in Louisiana aged 74

Percy Sledge, who recorded the classic 1966 soul ballad When a Man Loves a Woman, has died aged 74.

East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Dr William Clark has confirmed to The Associated Press that Sledge died early on Tuesday morning.

Sledge's first recording took him from hospital orderly to a long touring career averaging 100 performances a year and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Between 1966 and 1968, Sledge used his forlorn, crying vocal style to record a series of Southern soul standards.

In later years, Sledge continued to be an in-demand performer in the United States and Europe as When a Man Loves a Woman kept popping up in movies, including The Big Chill and The Crying Game.