The circumstances of his death are still shrouded in mystery. But what makes Sam Cooke's death even more tragic is the fact that though he was becoming one of the great fixtures in American pop and soul music, he might not have been at the apex of what would have likely been one of the greatest musical careers in history. His last (and arguably most endearing) song "A Change is Gonna Come" exemplified the troubled 1960's, is often cited as a quasi-social commentary on American society; and most recently, became Barack Obama's unofficial Presidential campaign song of 2008. The song, itself showed a maturity and a return to Cooke's humble gospel beginnings- and arguably was a preview of things to come when it all came to an end on the evening of December 11, 1964 in East Los Angeles, California. Another what might have been, and definitely a loss for the music world.

Sam is dead.  Barry Manilow continues to sing.  The human experiment is rife with tragedy.

Sam Cooke's tragic death in 1964 deprived us of one of our elite singers and songwriters. He had so many great songs: "You Send Me", "Cupid", "Wonderful World", "Bring It on Home to Me" "Another Saturday Night" and "Shake". One of his last records, "A Change Is Gonna Come" suggests that he was on the verge of his best work, work with an eye on the social issues of the time. At least we have the body of work that he did record.