Albertina Walker: "Queen of Gospel" Dead at 81

Grammy Award winning Gospel pioneer Albertina Walker died this morning at 4:30 a.m.

After a long battle with emphysema and internet rumors of her passing in early September, Walker's death was confirmed today by her manager Eric Peterson.

The founder of the legendary gospel group The Caravans had been hospitalized in Chicago beginning in late August for ten days. After spending several days on a ventilator, Walker had a successful surgical procedure for a tracheostomy on Sept. 7.

To quell rumors of her passing in Sept., the 81-year-old vocal

ist sent BV Buzz an email thanking fans and loved ones for their concern.

"Thank you so much for your prayers, emails, cards, calls and concern over the last two weeks. I really appreciate your love, support and kindness. I praise God for my life, strength and good reports as I rest comfortably at this time. Keep me lifted in prayer as I know God is not through with me yet," Walker said in the statement, sent nearly one month before actually passing.

A Chicago native, Walker was born on Aug. 29, 1929.

By age four, she began singing in the children's choir at West Point Baptist Church. By the time she was a teenager, Professor Thomas A. Dorsey's gospel movement was gaining notoriety in the churches across the country and Walker began singing with a group called The Williams Singers and toured with Willie Webb and the Robert Anderson Singers.

When she was 22, Walker's good friend and mentor Mahalia Jackson founded The Caravans, a group that would launch the careers of Shirley Caesar, the late Cassietta George, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Delores Washington and the late Rev. James Cleveland among others.

The group became famous for gospel classics lik

e 'Mary Don't You Weep,' 'Sweeping Through The City,' 'Walk Around Heaven' and 'Lord Keep Me Day by Day.'

In 1975, Walker released her first solo effort, 'Put A Little Love in Your Heart,' which was produced by the late R&B icon Donnie Hathaway.

She went on to record 71 albums and write more than 100 songs, with a repertoire of hit songs that included 'I Can Go To God In Prayer,' 'Lord Keep Me Day By Day,' 'Working a Building,' 'You Can't Tell It,' and a song that would become her catch phrase in later years, 'I'm Still Here.'

Most recently, Walker reunited with Caravans members Norwood, Andrews and Washington to record a new CD in 2006 called 'Paved the Way.'

Throughout he career, she has received awards from the Stellar Awards, the Dove Awards and the Gospel Music Workshop of America Excellence Awards. In 2001 she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

A recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship, Walker was also recognized for her contribution to gospel music by President George W. Bush during a ceremony May 31, 2002.

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VIDEO: Watch Albertina Walker sing 'I Can Go To God in Prayer.'

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