RIPON, Calif. — Walter Hawkins, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer,
composer and pastor from Oakland, died Sunday. He was 61.
Hawkins,
who was battling pancreatic cancer, passed away at his home in Ripon,
Calif., his older brother Edwin Hawkins said.
"Today, I lost my
brother, my pastor, and my best friend," said Edwin Hawkins. "Bishop
Hawkins suffered bravely but now he will suffer no more and he will be
greatly missed."
Born in Oakland, Hawkins studied for his divinity
degree at the University of California, Berkeley.
While at the
university, he recorded his first album titled "Do Your Best" in 1972.
The
next year, Hawkins became a pastor and founded the Love Center Church
in Oakland, where he also formed a choir.
In the 1980s, Hawkins
recorded a number of albums and earned nine Grammy Award nominations,
according to friend and family representative, Bill Carpenter.
His
"The Lord's Prayer" won a Grammy in 1980 and he also performed on the
televised Grammy Awards ceremony that year.
In 1990, Hawkins
released "Love Alive III" which spent 34 weeks at the top on the
Billboard gospel album sales chart, while going on to sell more than a
million copies, according to Carpenter.
In 1993 his next album,
"Love Alive IV," also hit the top spot on the album sales chart. Between
work on the two albums, Hawkins was ordained a bishop in October 1992.
At
the time of his death, Hawkins was planning a new "Love Alive" CD
concert recording for this fall.
Besides his brother Walter,
Hawkins is survived by two children, two grandchildren and a number of
nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements were pending.