9:02pm UK, Wednesday April 02, 2003

Soul legend Edwin Starr has died at the age of 61.

The US-born singer - known for his enduring hits War and Contact - is thought to have died of a heart attack.

180-edwin starr soul singer dies

Starr: Hit with War

He had lived for many years in the UK and died at his home near Nottingham.

Seventies rock star Suzi Quatro, who has known Starr since she was a teenager in Detroit, led tributes.

She said: "He was the best. There was nobody better on stage and he was the nicest man you could ever wish to meet."

Starr was born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee. He formed his first group, The Future Tones, in 1957, recording one single before his three-year Army draft.

He was offered a solo deal in 1965.

His biggest success came with his outspoken single War, a US number one in 1970 and number three in the UK, for the renowned Motown label.

He had another taste of chart success at the end of the 1970s with Contact and H.A.P.P.Y. Radio which were both top ten hits.

He performed a pair of shows in Stuttgart, Germany, at the weekend.

Rainer Haas, Quatro's husband and the promoter of the Stuttgart shows, said: "He was just superb. He played to 16,000 people over the two nights and he put on a great show.

"The shows were actually recorded for television so we will have an enduring memory of how brilliant he was live."

Last year Starr performed at the wedding of Liza Minelli and David Gest in New York.