Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

NPR News

Soul and Funk singer Jean Knight has died at the age of 80

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

(SOUNDBITE OF JEAN KNIGHT SONG, "MR. BIG STUFF")

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Michel Martin.

Soul and funk singer Jean Knight has died at the age of 80. The New Orleans native was best known for her 1971 hit single, "Mr. Big Stuff." The song reached No. 2 an the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy in 1972.

Support for LAist comes from

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MR. BIG STUFF")

JEAN KNIGHT: (Singing) Who do you think you are, "Mr. Big Stuff"?

MARTIN: Even 50-plus years after its debut, the song still makes an appearance in soundtracks, advertisements and as a sample in tracks by artists like John Legend.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist