Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer's soulful voice, polished production, stylish image and distinctive blend of rock and funk finally earned commercial recognition with the release of the blockbuster "Addicted to Love," a record boosted by one of the iconic music videos of the mid-1980s.

West Yorkshire, England-born Palmer first earned notice as a member of Vinegar Joe, a blues and soul band that put out three strong albums on Island Records between 1971 and 1974 before disbanding. Solo albums like 1974's Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley and the next year's Pressure Drop won critical favor for their R&B-influenced grooves and A-list collaborators, including the Meters and Little Feat's Lowell George, although Palmer didn't taste chart success until the end of the decade, with the calypso-flavored "Every Kind of People" (from the album Double Fun) and 1979's cover of Moon Martin's "A Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" both reaching the bottom half of the Top 20.

Palmer joined the Power Station, a supergroup spearheaded by Duran Duran's Andy and John Taylor, to release a pair of 1985 Top Ten hits: "Some Like It Hot" and a cover of T. Rex's "Get It On (Bang a Gong)." The project's distinct hard-rock/funk aesthetic foreshadowed Palmer's solo breakthrough Riptide, which featured his first number one single, "Addicted to Love." The accompanying video, featuring Palmer performing the song backed by a "band" of fashion models, remains forever associated with the golden era of cable network MTV. Palmer reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Simply Irresistible," which repeated the "Addicted to Love" formula. He passed away on Sept. 26, 2003 at age 54 following a heart attack.