David Clayton-Thomas, the powerhouse vocalist who propelled the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears to international stardom, has died at the age of 84 . The Grammy-winning singer passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 24, at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto . His publicist, Eric Alper, confirmed the news, though no specific cause of death has been publicly announced .

For millions of fans, Clayton-Thomas was the definitive voice of Blood, Sweat & Tears, delivering iconic hits such as "Spinning Wheel," "You've Made Me So Very Happy," and "And When I Die" . His distinctive, soulful baritone and charismatic stage presence helped define the band's sound and turned them into one of the most successful acts of the late 1960s and early 1970s . The band's self-titled second album, his first with the group, sold over 10 million copies worldwide and spent seven weeks atop the Billboard charts . In 1970, it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, famously beating out The Beatles' Abbey Road .

Clayton-Thomas's journey to rock stardom was one of extraordinary transformation. Born David Henry Thomsett in Surrey, England, in 1941, he was the son of a Canadian soldier and a British music student . The family relocated to a Toronto suburb after World War II, but a difficult relationship with his father led the young Thomsett to leave home at the age of 14 . He spent his teenage years living on the streets and moving through a series of jails and reformatories .

It was during one of these incarcerations that music changed the course of his life. He taught himself to play guitar on an instrument left behind by a departing inmate and began performing concerts in jail . Upon his release in 1962, he changed his name to David Clayton-Thomas to break ties with his troubled past and establish a new identity for himself in the vibrant Toronto music scene . Mentored by rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins, he fronted local bands like David Clayton-Thomas and the Fabulous Shays and the jazz-influenced Bossmen, even scoring a Canadian hit with the anti-war song "Brainwashed" in 1966 .

His big break came when folk singer Judy Collins heard him perform in New York City and was so impressed that she recommended him to drummer Bobby Colomby of Blood, Sweat & Tears . The band, known for its complex, brass-heavy sound, needed a new frontman, and Clayton-Thomas proved to be the perfect fit. Reflecting on his first audition, he recalled the immediate chemistry: "The first time I walked in and sang with that band, we were in shock. It was one of those electrical things that happen" . "Everything David sang sounded right — and even better, sounded like a hit," the band's guitarist, Steve Katz, later wrote in his memoir .

He joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968, and their instant success launched him into the stratosphere. However, despite the fame, he never forgot his past and remained a vocal advocate for restorative youth justice . He worked with charities such as Peacebuilders Canada, which promotes alternatives to incarceration and conflict resolution in schools and communities . A memorial concert celebrating his life is being planned, with proceeds to benefit the charity .

Clayton-Thomas left Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1972 to pursue a solo career but would return for various stints over the decades before retiring from the group in 2004 . He remained a prolific solo artist, released a memoir in 2010, and continued to perform well into his later years . He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996 and received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2010 .

His daughter, Ashleigh Clayton-Thomas, shared that his greatest joy remained performance. "He loved being on stage and he came alive when he was able to bring people into that world," she told The Canadian Press . She added that his life’s mission was to give people hope, a sentiment that defined his remarkable journey from troubled runaway to music legend. "He felt he was an example of that, like, 'Look at me: I came from nothing, I was in the jailhouse, and now I'm at Woodstock,'" she said . He is survived by his daughters, Ashleigh and Christine Graham .