Robbie Lee Williams, mother of musician Billy Preston
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Mother of musician Billy Preston dead at 87
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Robbie Lee Williams, the mother of musician Billy Preston
and, according to Preston, the inspiration for his song "You Are So
Beautiful to Me," has died at age 87.
Williams died Wednesday at her Los Angeles home, surrounded by her son
and other family members, Preston's publicist, Eric Raymond, said
Monday. The family gave the cause of death as natural causes.
Like her son, Williams was a keyboard player and performed frequently
at her church. Preston has said he started playing piano on his
mother's lap at age 3.
Other survivors include her husband, Alexander, two daughters and a
brother.
Her son, although perhaps best known for playing keyboards with the
Beatles on the group's "Let it Be" album, has performed and recorded
with a range of artists over the years, including Eric Clapton, the
Rolling Stones, Mahalia Jackson, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin.
"You Are So Beautiful to Me" was a hit for Joe Cocker, and Preston's
own hits include "Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing," "Will It Go
Round in Circles" and "That's The Way God Planned It."