Issac Hayes 1942-2008

Soul legend Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy and Academy awards for the theme to the 1971 film ``Shaft'' and voiced the character ``Chef'' in the hit comedy series ``South Park,'' died yesterday in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 65.

Family members found Hayes lying unconscious next to a running treadmill in his basement around 1 p.m. local time, said Steve Shular, a spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office in a telephone interview. Hayes was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital. No autopsy is planned, Shular said.

Hayes, who co-wrote ``Soul Man'' and ``You Don't Know Like I Know,'' won an Oscar for best musical score for ``Shaft,'' according to his Web site. The song and the movie score also won Grammy awards for best original score and movie theme. Hayes, whose work influenced disco, urban-contemporary music and rap, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

In the 1990s, Hayes found a second career as the voice of Chef, the cafeteria cook and self-professed ladies man who became a mentor to the students of the ``South Park'' animated series on Viacom Inc.'s Comedy Central.