LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 8: Singer Bobby Caldwell arrives at the 2013 BET Soul Train Awards at Orleans Arena on November 8, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by C. Flanigan/WireImage)
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Bobby Caldwell, the singer-songwriter who mastered a variety of genres, died Tuesday, his wife Mary said. He was 71.
An official cause of death was not released; His wife said he died from fluoroquinolone toxicity after an antibiotic he was prescribed in 2017 wreaked ” havoc ” on his body.
“He was prescribed this with a runny nose and cough and it should never have happened, but it happened and it’s irreversible if you get hit as bad as he did,” she said. “It just wreaks havoc.”
The Food and Drug Administration issued a 2016 warning against the use of fluoroquinolones to treat “less serious” bacterial infections because of associated side effects. Warning labels were also updated in 2013 to include potentially irreversible nerve damage from the drug.
Cipro, a brand-name variant of quinolone antibiotics, is perhaps best known to consumers.
Influenced by the likes of Nat King Cole and the Beatles, Caldwell decided to pursue a career in music at age 17, writing and singing hits like “What You Won’t Do For Love” and “My Flame.” His parents were also singers who hosted a musical variety show, according to his website bio.
Caldwell’s ability to tap into multiple genres, including jazz and R&B, has lent longevity to his catalogue. Boyz II Men sampled his song “What You Won’t Do for Love” for their song “To the Limit” in 1997, nearly 20 years after the hit’s original release.
Also, rapper Biggie Smalls sampled Caldwell in the 1990s and used “My Flame” in his hit song “Sky’s the Limit,” which was later used in a biopic about Smalls’ life and career.
Caldwell lived in New Jersey and is survived by his wife and daughters.