American songwriter JJ Cale died in hospital in California, on Friday.
Born in Oklahoma, Cale, 74, helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country.
He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song After Midnight.
In 1977 Clapton also popularised Cale's Cocaine. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008.
Born in 1938, John Weldon Cale adopted the name JJ Cale to avoid being confused with John Cale of the Velvet Underground.
The BBC reports he pioneered the use of drum machines and was famous for a laid-back singing style.
However, Cale always described himself as a songwriter rather than a singer, and his songs tended to enjoy greater success when performed by others.
