James died in his sleep at his residence near Universal City, apparently of natural causes, said his publicist, Sujata Murthy. James lived alone and was found dead by his personal assistant, who notified police, she said.
The exact cause was not immediately known. "There'll be an autopsy and we'll find that out shortly," Murthy said.
With long hair elaborately styled in braids or Jheri curls, James was one of the biggest R&B stars of the 1980s, composing danceable rhythms and passionate ballads that gained a wide following.
Aside from "Super Freak" — which MC Hammer used a decade later as the backing track for his rap smash "U Can't Touch This" — James' hits included "Mary Jane," "Ebony Eyes" and "Fire and Desire," a stirring duet with Teena Marie.
"He was really fantastic, he was a creator," singer Little Richard told MSNBC.
Toward the end of the '80s, James' fame began to fade as he became embroiled in drugs, legal problems and health troubles.
In 1993 he was convicted in two separate cases of assaulting women. The first case occurred in 1991, when prosecutors said James and his girlfriend tied a woman to a chair, burned her with a hot crack pipe and forced her to perform sex acts during a cocaine binge at his West Hollywood home.
James was free on bail when the second assault occurred in 1992 in James' hotel room.
He served more than two years in Folsom Prison.
In 1997 he released a new album, but a year later he suffered a stroke while performing at Denver's Mammoth Events Center, derailing a comeback tour.
In 1998 he also underwent hip replacement surgery.
James was not married and names of survivors were not immediately available, Murthy said. Funeral arrangements were being planned.
The exact cause was not immediately known. "There'll be an autopsy and we'll find that out shortly," Murthy said.
With long hair elaborately styled in braids or Jheri curls, James was one of the biggest R&B stars of the 1980s, composing danceable rhythms and passionate ballads that gained a wide following.
Aside from "Super Freak" — which MC Hammer used a decade later as the backing track for his rap smash "U Can't Touch This" — James' hits included "Mary Jane," "Ebony Eyes" and "Fire and Desire," a stirring duet with Teena Marie.
"He was really fantastic, he was a creator," singer Little Richard told MSNBC.
Toward the end of the '80s, James' fame began to fade as he became embroiled in drugs, legal problems and health troubles.
In 1993 he was convicted in two separate cases of assaulting women. The first case occurred in 1991, when prosecutors said James and his girlfriend tied a woman to a chair, burned her with a hot crack pipe and forced her to perform sex acts during a cocaine binge at his West Hollywood home.
James was free on bail when the second assault occurred in 1992 in James' hotel room.
He served more than two years in Folsom Prison.
In 1997 he released a new album, but a year later he suffered a stroke while performing at Denver's Mammoth Events Center, derailing a comeback tour.
In 1998 he also underwent hip replacement surgery.
James was not married and names of survivors were not immediately available, Murthy said. Funeral arrangements were being planned.
