Bobby Caldwell has died at the age of 71

The musician, best known for his hit What You Won’t Do For Love, died at his home on Tuesday, with his wife Mary by his side.

Caldwell’s orphaned widow shared the news of his death on his official Twitter account, writing: “Bobby died here at home. I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am heartbroken forever.

“Thank you all for your many prayers over the years. He was “FLOXED”, it has cost his health for the last 6 years and 2 months.

“Rest on God, my love. – Mary Caldwell,” she signed.

“Floxing” is a term used to describe when a body experiences mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress after ingesting the antibiotic fluoroquinolone.

TMZ claimed that the singer “hasn’t been able to walk for about five years as he’s coping with painful bouts of neuropathy and a torn tendon in his ankle.”

Born Robert Hunter Caldwell in New York, he began in show business as a rhythm guitarist for Little Richard. After going solo, he released over a dozen albums across genres including R&B, smooth jazz and show tunes.

A sought-after songwriter, he wrote hits for well-known artists such as Chicago, Boz Scaggs, Peter Cetera and Amy Grant, Neil Diamond and Al Jarreau.

Perhaps his greatest legacy is his 1978 single What You Won’t Do For Love.

The track has been sampled many times over the years, including Tupac Shakur’s famous single Do for Love, which was released posthumously in 1998. Other tracks by Caldwell have also been sampled regularly by hip-hop artists.

His music was unusually popular with black American audiences, leading his first label, TK Records, to cover up the fact that he was white in some areas of music marketing.