Academy Award winner Isaac Hayes was found dead in his Memphis home over the weekend.

The soul legend's wife called the police after returning home from the grocery store Sunday early Sunday morning to discover Hayes unconscious next to a moving treadmill. Hayes was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of death remains unknown. Hayes' family claims the singer had recently been treated for an unspecified medical condition.

Hayes was a pioneering soul musician, helping write countless hits for artists on the legendary Stax label before embarking on a revolutionary solo career. In 1971, he scored a blockbuster hit with "Theme from 'Shaft'", for which he would receive an Oscar for Best Original Film Score the following year. In recent years, Hayes played the role of Chef on the hit sitcom South Park before leaving the show over a controversial episode ridiculing Scientology, Hayes' belief system of choice.

Hayes was married four times and is survived by twelve children. X17 extends its sincerest condolences to the Hayes family for their loss.