Remembering Ben E. King

Ben E. King (Benjamin Earl Nelson) died of natural causes on Thursday, April 30, at age 76. He is survived by his wife, Betty, and three children. The information collected is from cnn.com, latinofoxnews.com and thegaurdian.com.

King found success after his family moved from North Carolina to New York. He joined a group called The Five Crowns, which later became the Drifters after management fired the original group. Their songs included "There Goes My Baby" and "This Magic Moment" among many others.

King will long be remembered for his 1961 No. 4 hit "Stand By Me," which returned 25 years later in the 1986 Rob Reiner film by the same name about four teenage boys. Music-rights organization BMI named it the fourth-most played song of the century on radio and TV.

King earned 12 Top 10 hits from 1959-86 and would record off and on in the 1990s. The songs include:

• "Don't Play That Song"
• "Spanish Harlem"
• and a disco favorite - "Supernatural Thing Part 1"

King created a foundation - Stand By Me - to help poor and talented youth and different civil organizations in the effort to improve people's quality of life.

Ben E. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Drifter and has been nominated as a solo artist.