She burst onto the R&B music scene in the 1980s with a powerful voice a string of hits that showed off her songwriting skills. Today we mourn the passing of singer Joyce Sims at age 63, cause of death unknown.

Sims first hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in 1986 with the Kurtis Mantronik-produced “All and All,” but took it to the next level two years later with “Come Into My Life,” a top 10 hit that became Sims’ signature song. She followed with several solid charters over the next few years, including “Lifetime Love,” “Walk Away” and “Looking for a Love.”

Sims was a talented songwriter and pianist who penned most of her hits, but she also proved herself a song stylist, hitting the top 30 with a remake of Barbara Acklin’s “Love Makes a Woman.”

While the hits slowed for Sims by the end of the 90s, she continued to work regularly, performing both R&B and Gospel, and finding a large following in Europe, where she spent much of her time in the ‘10s. And just this summer she released a very nice cover of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love,” that became a SoulTracks First Listen story.

The music world will mourn the passing of this multi-faceted talent whose impact on music was even greater than the mass popularity that she achieved over the past three and a half decades.

By Chris Rizik