Legendary soul singer and songwriter Vesta Williams has passed away at the age of 53. She was found dead inside of her hotel room in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death at this time is unknown, but according to TMZ, multiple empty bottles of prescription drugs were found on the scene.

Williams rose to fame in the mid 80′s and 90′s with a string of top 10 R&B hits including “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, “Sweet Sweet Love”, “4 U”, and most notably, “Congratulations”. The Ohio native is also remembered for her witty and outgoing personality and spot on celebrity impressions.

The untimely passing of Vesta breaks my heart because I feel that her talent was largely ignored and that she never got the proper respect that she deserved. We really need to honor our legends and let them know how much they are appreciated before they leave us.

We found one of Vesta’s last interviews, where she seemed so full of life. Check it out below and also watch her last performance, just days ago. Gone, but never forgotten.

“Congratulations” at the Autumn Jazz Explosion Sept 17th in Portsmouth, VA