Jazz singer Al Jarreau dies at 76

LOS ANGELES (WLS) -- Grammy-award winning singer Al Jarreau has died at age 76, according to a statement on his website.

Jarreau had announced his retirement last week after being hospitalized in Los Angeles for exhaustion. He was scheduled to perform in Waukegan on Feb. 24 before announcing his retirement.

The statement on Jarreau's website reads in part, "His 2nd priority in life was music. There was no 3rd. His 1st priority, far ahead of the other, was healing or comforting anyone in need. Whether it was emotional pain, or physical discomfort, or any other cause of suffering, he needed to put our minds at ease and our hearts at rest. He needed to see a warm, affirming smile where there had not been one before. Song was just his tool for making that happen."

The Wisconsin native has won seven Grammys over a 50-year career. His biggest single was 1981's "We're in This Love Together." Jarreau was a vocalist on the all-star 1985 track, "We Are the World," and sang the theme to TV's "Moonlighting."

He is one of the few artists to have won Grammys in three separate categories - jazz, pop and R&B.

Jarreau is survived by his wife, Susan, and a son, Ryan

The Associated Press contributed to this report.