SR Gospel: Walter Hawkins Dies at 61, Family Says 'He Will Suffer No More'

Gospel industry veteran Walter Hawkins has died.

Recognized as one of the industry's leading talents whose titles include Bishop, singer, songwriter, and producer, Hawkins died at the age of 61 Sunday.

With a discography that includes staples like "Going Up Yonder," "What It Is," "Changed," and "The Lord's Prayer,' Hawkins' death comes after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Issuing a statement shortly after his death, Hawkins' brother, Edwin, told the Associated Press "he will suffer no more".

"Today, I lost my brother, my pastor, and my best friend," said Edwin Hawkins. "Bishop Hawkins suffered bravely but now he will suffer no more and he will be greatly missed."

In addition to his efforts, Hawkins had worked with everyone from Jeffrey Osborne and Van Morrison to his family, The Edwin Hawkins Singers (Oh, Happy Day), credited as a trailblazing force behind contemporary gospel in the late 1950s/1960s.

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RIPON, Calif. — Walter Hawkins, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, composer and pastor from Oakland, died Sunday. He was 61.

Hawkins, who was battling pancreatic cancer, passed away at his home in Ripon, Calif., his older brother Edwin Hawkins said.

"Today, I lost my brother, my pastor, and my best friend," said Edwin Hawkins. "Bishop Hawkins suffered bravely but now he will suffer no more and he will be greatly missed."

Born in Oakland, Hawkins studied for his divinity degree at the University of California, Berkeley.

While at the university, he recorded his first album titled "Do Your Best" in 1972.

The next year, Hawkins became a pastor and founded the Love Center Church in Oakland, where he also formed a choir.

In the 1980s, Hawkins recorded a number of albums and earned nine Grammy Award nominations, according to friend and family representative, Bill Carpenter.

His "The Lord's Prayer" won a Grammy in 1980 and he also performed on the televised Grammy Awards ceremony that year.

In 1990, Hawkins released "Love Alive III" which spent 34 weeks at the top on the Billboard gospel album sales chart, while going on to sell more than a million copies, according to Carpenter.

In 1993 his next album, "Love Alive IV," also hit the top spot on the album sales chart. Between work on the two albums, Hawkins was ordained a bishop in October 1992.

At the time of his death, Hawkins was planning a new "Love Alive" CD concert recording for this fall.

Besides his brother Walter, Hawkins is survived by two children, two grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.