How did Jerry Butler die? Career explored as R&B soul singer known as The Iceman passes away at 85

R&B soul singer Jerry Butler, 85, passed away on February 20, 2025. Apart from his musical career, he was also active in the political world where he served as a member of the Cook County Board. He gained recognition for his singles such as I Was Wrong, Silent Night, and Moon River.

While speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times, Butler’s family friend revealed that Jerry died after battling Parkinson’s disease. People also took to different social media platforms to express their grief, including musician Howard Hewett, who shared a photo of Butler on Facebook and wrote:

“I only met Jerry Butler one time years and years ago, but his music was present throughout my household when I was a kid…my mom and dad and sisters loved him! My favorite song was “Never Gonne Give You Up” No matter how you treat me…! Amazing song!”

According to USA Today, Jerry Butler also adopted another name for himself and started getting known as The Iceman. He started his singing career at the church and Butler’s family arrived in Chicago during his childhood.

Apart from his solo career, the artist was a part of groups such as The Impressions, which was initially known as The Roosters. The band had many albums in their credits, including Keep On Pushing. Musician Chris Ruggiero also paid tribute on Facebook by writing:

“I never met this man, but I learned so much from him. Especially when I first started taking singing seriously, I listened to his phrasing and how he would take his time. He was a master and there’s a little bit of his inspiration in every ballad I sing.”

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Jerry Butler’s successful career: Collaborations and singles explored

Jerry Butler accumulated a huge fanbase with his work in the music industry over the years. The Sunflower, Mississippi native had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most popular record labels like Mercury, Motown, Rhino, and Abner.

Jerry Butler was additionally active as a songwriter, working with personalities such as Otis Redding. While he continued delivering a lot of hits, his career took a different turn when he developed an interest in politics, running for the Cook County Board in 1985, as per the Associated Press.

He continued serving at the place for a long time until he exited around seven years ago. Back in August 2005, Jerry Butler appeared in an interview with NPR and addressed his reason for joining politics. The musician recalled that he, alongside an attorney named Chuck Bernardini and Commissioner Bobby Steele, decided to run for seats on the board. Jerry further stated:

“I decided to run for political office when Harold Washington was the mayor of this town. He was the first African-American elected to that office, and he was having a terrible struggle with some of the folks on the City Council.”

Butler’s family was living in the Cabrini-Green housing development after they arrived in Chicago and met Curtis Mayfield when he was learning music at the church, as per The New York Times. The duo then came to a group called Roosters, which later became famous as the Impressions.

Although the band dropped numerous albums, the most successful among them was Keep On Pushing, which reached on top of the US Billboard 200. A report by USA Today stated that Jerry Butler started pursuing a solo career during the ‘60s.

Jerry’s first solo single was He Will Break Your Heart, which grabbed the first spot on the charts. He continued releasing more hit singles like Moon River, Make It Easy on Yourself, I Almost Lost My Mind, Since I Don’t Have You, Are You Happy, Don't Let Love Hang You Up, Walk Easy My Son, and more.

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Detailed information on Jerry’s survivors remains unknown. Although he was married to Annette Butler in the past, the pair did not have any children and the latter passed away in 2019.