Bluesman Willie Kent dead at age 70

CHICAGO, March 3 (UPI) -- Award-winning blues bassist Willie Kent, known as the godfather of Chicago blues, has died of cancer at age 70, it was reported Friday.

Kent, born in the Mississippi Delta town of Inverness, moved to Chicago to seek his fortune in 1952 at age 16. He went on to enjoy a career lasting more than 60 years and saw him win numerous W.C. Handy Awards, the Chicago Tribune said.

"Willie Kent was the last traditional blues player in Chicago," fellow Bluesman Big Ray Stewart told the newspaper. "Any time you could find Willie Kent in the club, you could always find two things: a lot of lying and a lot of laughing."

Through the years, the bassist created his own music and of host of albums in addition to backing up a number of blues icons including Little Walter, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.