Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning
music man and actor was 65

Isaac Hayes, pictured above, and his once-alter ego, "Chef," of South Park, pictured below with the his animated castmates.

Award-winning recording artist/composer and actor Isaac Hayes, who won an Oscar in 1971 for Best Original Song for his "Theme from Shaft" and both Golden Globe and Grammy awards for Best Original Score for Shaft, was found dead in his home Sunday.

His wife reportedly discovered Hayes, 65, lying unresponsive next to his treadmill. He was rushed to Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, where he was later pronounced dead.

The official cause of death is not immediately known. Hayes had suffered a stroke in 2006.

Hayes is widely lauded for the enduring musical mark he made on American soul, pop music—a weighty influence heard readily all over today's organic soul, groovy pop, hip hop and in his work with younger stars like Alicia Keys.

He has, however, worked as an actor in television and film, as well as a composer, since the 1970s.

Hayes enjoyed a tremendous television career surge in 1997 when he began voicing the "Chef" character on Comedy Central's animated powerhouse South Park.

Though popular, South Park had been and remains a lightening rod for controversy, due to its off-color material. Hayes left the show in 2006, after the series skewered his religion, the Church of Scientology.

Among Hayes' many credits, he is widely remembered for his recurring television role as Gandy Finitch on The Rockford Files, plus he has appeared on such series as Stargate SG-1, The Hughleys, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Miami Vice and The A-Team. His film roles include Escape from New York, Dr. Doolittle 2, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and more.

Beyond Shaft, his screen music credits include score and soundtrack material for films American Gangster and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, among others.

Hayes is survived by his wife, Adjowa and his children.