Otis Redding III, son of legendary soul singer, dies of cancer

Otis Redding III, one of four children that the Try A Little Tenderness star shared with wife Zelma Atwood, sadly “lost his battle” with cancer at the age of 59.

The sad news was confirmed by sister Karla on her Facebook page, where she mourned the talented performer who had been following in his father’s musical footsteps.

She also posted the sad news on his official Instagram page, writing: “It is with heavy hearts that the family of Otis Redding III confirms that he lost his battle with cancer last evening at Atrium Health Navicent in Macon, Ga.

“Please keep our family in your prayers at this time and please respect our privacy as we consume this huge loss.”

She added that funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.

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Otis III and the group released six albums and had success on the Billboard charts, but their final release had been in 1988.

However, he continued to be a presence on the music scene and thirty years on, he performed at a special tribute concert at Carnegie Hall in his father’s honour.

He also played a valuable part in the Otis Redding Foundation, which his mother founded to help teach kids to play music at specially organised summer camps.

Meanwhile, he remained forever humble about his role in relation to his late father, who also part-inspired Christina Aguilera’s 2006 track ‘Back In The Day’.

He asked the Telegraph: “Who can live up to Otis Redding? I mean, I had his name, I got a little bit of talent, but you know, nobody can really live up to the King of Soul!”