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At the time of emerging Black Power and with the death of Martin Luther King as a conscience building experience, Hayes transformed his image into a revolutionary statement, dressing in black leather, draping his bare chest in rows of gold chains and shaving his head completely.
After his career-defining soundtrack for the 1971 movie "Shaft," for which Hayes picked up an Oscar, three Grammy awards, a Golden Globe award, and an Edison award, Europe's highest music honor, Hayes began acting in scores of movies and television series.
His guest star appearances included TV shows "The Rockford Files" and "Miami Vice." He also appeared in feature films such as "Escape from New York" and "Hustle & Flow."
Musically, he returned to the charts in 1986 with a new record deal with Columbia and a new album, "U-Turn."
In 1997 he began voicing the role of chef in the animated Comedy Central cable ' series "South Park," but quit in 2006, apparently because of a conflict with Scientology, a religion he followed since the mid 1990s.
During a 1991 trip with Barry White to Africa, Hayes became fascinated with his African roots, and began his philanthropic devotion to spreading the message that education is the key to freedom.
He started the Isaac Hayes Foundation in 1993 and after being crowned king of a small community in Ghana, he returned in 2000 to open an education center that provides literacy, computer technology and health courses.
In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and moved back home to Memphis, Tennessee, where he pursed business interests that flowered into two restaurants, a best-selling cookbook and top secret barbecue sauces.
He wrote a self-help book, "The Way to Happiness," and summarized his life experience in an interview: "At the end of the day, we are responsible for our own lives.
"If anything happens to us, don't blame somebody else. Backtrack and look at what you did to contribute to that. You also contribute to your successes. Once you learn that, you're on your way."
Hayes was married four times and fathered 12 children, according to Us magazine. He is survived by his current wife Adjowa, whom he married in 2005 and with whom he had one child.
Speaking to E!, Dionne Warwick said:
"I've lost one of my best buddies and it is not easy to reckon with…I know one can never put a question mark where GOD puts a period, so I will not question the Almighty's decision to call him home…He was my "family"…He will be a part of my musical life each time I sing the song "Déjà Vu" as this was a birthday gift to me from him…My family and I send sincere heartfelt condolences to his family for their enormous loss, and we will hold them in continuous prayer."
Aretha Franklin added:
"It was so sad to hear about Isaac Hayes. So musically advanced and timeless in his compositions. He was loved and appreciated by so many. He was an enduring symbol of the struggle of the African-American man and was a shining example of soul at its best. God bless."
And Soul II Soul's Jazzie B, speaking to the BBC recounted the times he shared with Hayes:
"I first heard Isaac as a kid. He was Black Moses at that time. He'd done that album - that would have been the early '70s.
One of the things I remember most was the album cover, him as Black Moses, with the chain waistcoat and the cloak, and the album sleeve opened out into a cross. A very outstanding piece of material.
My biggest memory of Isaac is singing with him in Paris, I think it was either '95 or '97, singing Papa Was a Rolling Stone. That duet was just so bizarre. That's one of my fondest memories. We became friends after that.
When Isaac came over [to the UK], I'd often hang out with him and we had a lot of mutual friends. He was just a really nice man, a really cool guy. He was quite funny, quite comedic. Always had interesting things to say.
I probably remember him more from a humorous point of view, we had a lot of laughs, a lot of chuckles. Isaac definitely had an impression on people."
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