Otis Redding III, who followed legendary father into music, dies at 59

Otis Redding III appears at his home in Macon, Ga., in 2017. Redding III has died from cancer at age 59. He was the son and namesake of the late, legendary soul singer Otis Redding. – Photo: Woody Marshall/The Macon Telegraph via AP

Singer and guitarist Otis Redding III, the son and namesake of the legendary 1960s soul singer, has died from cancer at age 59, his family said Wednesday.

Redding was just 3 years old when his father, Otis Redding, perished along with several band members in a plane crash on Dec. 10, 1967. More than a decade later, the younger Redding and his brother, Dexter, formed the funk band The Reddings, which recorded six albums in the 1980s.