Overview
- Jim Gilstrap died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 18, 2026, his family said; he was 79 years old.
- He sang the opening lines on Stevie Wonder’s Grammy-winning “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and provided the male co-lead on the 1974 TV theme for Good Times.
- As a solo artist he scored 1975 hits including “Swing Your Daddy,” which reached the U.K. top five and No. 10 on U.S. R&B charts, and “I’m on Fire.”
- Over more than five decades Gilstrap built a prolific session career, adding vocals to projects by Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and many others, with credits extending into the 2010s.
- He is survived by his wife Gloria, children and grandchildren, memorial arrangements are pending, and his passing highlights the often underrecognized role session singers play in shaping popular music.