Warwick And Gaynor Pay Tribute To Hayes

In a statement, Warwick describes Hayes as "family" and revealed that he had written her 1979 hit song Déjà Vu as a birthday present for her.

She says, "I've lost one of my best buddies and it is not easy to reckon with."

"I know one can never put a question mark where God puts a period, so I will not question the almighty's decision to call him home. We all know when that call comes we all will answer. Personally, my buddy will be missed for many reasons by me. He was 'family'.

"He will be a part of my musical life each time I sing the song 'Déjà Vu', as this was a birthday gift to me from him. His renditions of songs that I had recorded, especially 'Walk On By', in my opinion 'the definitive version', will always be another memory each time I sing it, and the humorous side that he showed few (that I knew so well).

"My family and I send sincere heartfelt condolences to his family for their enormous loss, and we will hold them in continuous prayer."

And disco singer Gloria Gaynor, who recorded one of Barry White's songs, You're The First, The Last, My Everything, for Hayes in 1985, was full of admiration for the soul legend.

She described Hayes as "a gentleman and an extremely warm and talented artist", who she "respected and admired".