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The biggest names in gospel music, including Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Mary Mary, BeBe Winans, Ledisi, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard, Donnie McClurkin, Ted Winn, Byron Cage, The Love Center Choir, and many others, come together for an exclusive tribute honoring the life and achievements of gospel legend Bishop Walter Hawkins.

Gospel Singer Bishop Walter Hawkins Dies at 61

Gospel singer Walter L. Hawkins died Sunday, July 11 at his home in Ripon, Calif. after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 61.

"To try to say anything will sound very contrived based on the impact the Hawkins dynasty has had on music, with Walter who was at the head of what we know as gospel music," said gospel artist Kirk Franklin. "I learned how to direct a choir by putting on the Love Alive album and practicing his moves while looking in the mirror. Walter Hawkins was just part of the soundtrack of my life with those Love Alive records. It's hard to accept that at the end of the day, these people were mortals. I'm just grateful that the music will last after the time we're gone."

An American gospel singer, composer and pastor of Love Center Church, Bishop Walter Hawkins was born May 18, 1949 in Oakland, Calif. One of the most beloved pastors and figures in contemporary gospel music today, he created one of the most prolific and outstanding catalogs of hit gospel recordings and published songs in the 40-plus years of his career.

"I didn't really realize how much I appreciated his music," said gospel artist Hezekiah Walker. "Sometimes we tend to overlook what we have when it's in front of us, but his death really broke my heart...I patterned my choir after Love Center – the way he did things with excellence. My mom bought me my first Walter Hawkins album and I remember eating my cereal and reading the credits off of the album. I wanted to be those guys. This is a major blow to the gospel community. We have to take the baton and run with it, because these guys really paved the way. Now it's on us to keep the legacy alive.”

To celebrate Bishop Hawkins' life, there will be a musical celebration featuring Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary and BeBe Winans, Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 7 PM PST. The funeral service will be Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 11 AM PST. Both services will be at The Paramount Theater in Oakland, Calif. Please contact The Paramount Theater at (510) 465-6400 for your ticket.

Walter was the brother of gospel singer Edwin Hawkins and Lynette Hawkins-Stephens. While married to Tramaine Hawkins, the couple had two children, a son, Walter "Jamie" Hawkins, Jr. and a daughter, Trystan Hawkins. He is also survived by one granddaughter, Jahve Hawkins, and one grandson, Jamie Daniel Hawkins.

Hawkins started his career in his brother's chorale, The Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ. Later on he accompanied his brother and made significant contributions to his career with the founding of The Edwin Hawkins Singers. This collaborative effort produced the hit song, "Oh Happy Day" which became one of the first gospel songs to cross over to mainstream music charts.

Walter left the group in the early '70s to establish the Love Center Church in Oakland, Calif. He and his Love Center Choir had considerable success with his Love Alive series, which collectively sold over a million copies from the '70s through the '90s. Recordings and published songs that include such great hits as "Marvelous," "Going Up Yonder," "Changed," "Be Grateful," "Thank You," "He's That Kind of Friend," "Until I Found the Lord," "Jesus Christ Is the Way," "I'm Not the Same," "Holy One," "Spirit Now," "Battle," "I Love You Lord," "Special Gift," "Set Me Free," "Is There Any Way," "Everybody Ought to Know," "My Gratitude," "It's Right and Good," "Cry On," "I'm So Thankful," "Just In the Nick of Time," "Jesus Made a Way," and so many more.

"He was a great role model. We mourn his homegoing, but at the same time we understand it," said gospel legend Bobby Jones. "He was a great guy. We'll miss him. I think of the song, 'I’m Going Away.' It's such a touching presentation when you think about him. He was one of the most outstanding tenors. His range was just unmatchable."

Hawkins and his groups have recorded with Van Morrison, Diahann Carroll, Sylvester (singer), Jeffrey Osborne, and many others.

—Lisa Collins