Maurice Williams, the doo-wop legend behind “Stay,” has died at the age of 86.
The news was confirmed by former Zodiacs member Ron Henderson Jr. on social media, who asked people to respect his wife’s privacy and said, “we have lost another icon.”
No cause of death has yet been released.
Williams wrote and performed the hit single “Stay” with The Zodiacs in 1960. It became the shortest-running number one in Billboard Hot 100 history and was widely covered by artists including The Hollies, Jackson Browne, The Four Seasons and Cyndi Lauper.
Decades later, the song was featured in Dirty dancingand became a hit with another generation. Williams wrote the song when he was 15, inspired by his high school sweetheart.
He later said Classical groups It only took him half an hour to write it. “It took me about 30 minutes to write ‘Stay,’ and then I threw it away,” he said. “We were looking for songs to record under the name Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs.”
“I was at my girlfriend’s house listening to a tape of songs I had written when her little sister said, ‘Please do the song with the high voice.’ I knew she meant ‘Stay.’ She was about 12 and I thought, ‘She’s at the age where we buy records,’ and the rest is history. I thank God for her.”
The “College Girl” singer grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina. He received a musical education, singing in church and taking piano lessons with his sister. Influenced by groups like the Orioles, he formed a gospel group called the Junior Harmonizers with Earl Gainey, a friend from Barr Street High School.
At age 16, he and the other members of the group – William Massey, Willie Jones and Norman Wade – went to Nashville for an audition and landed a contract with Excello Records and were renamed the Gladiolas.
“Little Darlin” was their first hit and was made into a feature film. American graffitiIn 1960, the band changed their name again after seeing a Ford Zodiac in a showroom. They signed with Herald Records and Williams unearthed the demo of “Stay.”
After record company executive Al Silver suggested they replace the phrase “another smoke” with “another dance,” they quickly had a radio hit. To date, the song has sold 32 million copies worldwide.
Maurice was a longtime member of the New Emmanuel United Church of Christ, where he served on the board of trustees and sang in the choir. His obituary noted that “Maurice loved his church and was a very active member until he became ill. He was always kind and loving to those who knew him.”
Williams is survived by his wife of 63 years.
