King had been in poor health prior to his death, but he continued performing on the stage. Last October, he collapsed during a concert in Chicago and later blamed it on dehydration and exhaustion. He was recently hospitalized for high blood pressure and diabetes.
King was born in Mississippi as Riley B. King on September 16, 1925. Throughout his career, he has recorded more than 50 albums and sold millions of copies of them around the world. He's known for a number of hits like1952's "Three O'Clock Blues", 1970's "The Thrill Is Gone" and 1989's duet with U2 "When Love Comes to Town".
He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the Songwriters Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. His other achievements include 15 Grammy Awards and honorary doctorates from Yale and Brown.
