Legendary soul singer of smash hit dies aged 83 with epic final words for fans

Veteran soul singer Brenton Wood has passed away after achieving fame with his 1967 hit The Oogum Boogum Song, which has been repeatedly used in films and TV shows over the years

Soul singer Brenton Wood has died aged 83(Image: Redferns)

Soul singer Brenton Wood has died at the age of 83.

The music veteran was best known for his 1967 hit The Oogum Boogum Song, which has been used in films as well as TV shows such as Netflix hit The Umbrella Academy. Wood passed away on Friday (January 3) from natural causes at his home in Moreno Valley, east of Los Angeles.

News of his passing was confirmed to Variety and TMZ by his manager and assistant Manny Gallegos. "It just was his old age. He was 83 years old", Manny said. "He went in his sleep peacefully. The love that he gave us, God took him the same way".

Brenton was surrounded by his family when he passed and the singer's final words for his fans were "Catch you on the rebound", a reference to his 1967 song Catch You on the Rebound. The phrase clearly held significance to Brenton, who also named his final tour after the phrase.

Brenton Wood performing in California in 2017(Image: Getty Images)

The singer, whose real name was Alfred Jesse Smith, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and raised in San Pedro, a coastal neighbourhood in Los Angeles. He went to high school in Compton, LA and later attended Compton College.

Wood covered the classic A Change is Gonna Come, which was originally performed by Sam Cooke, one of Wood's inspirations. His biggest hits were The Oogum Boogum Song which reached number 19 on the Billboard R&B charts, and Gimme Little Sign which hit number nine on the pop charts.

The signer's famous song, The Oogum Boogum Song, was a hit and has been used in films and TV shows(Image: Redferns)

In recent years, The Oogum Boogum Song had a resurgence as it was used in films and TV shows such as The Umbrella Academy, Almost Famous and Don’t Worry Darling. His single Great Big Bundle Of Love also featured in season two of 'Big Little Lies'.

In 1972, the singer he founded his own label Prophesy Records and went on to release music on his label Mr Wood Records. He launched his final tour, Catch You On The Rebound: The Last Tour in 2024 but it had to be paused in May after he was admitted to hospital.

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