PASSINGS: Jesse Fortune

Jesse Fortune

Chicago blues singer

Jesse Fortune, 79, a veteran Chicago blues singer, died Monday after collapsing on stage while performing at a West Side club. He was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and an autopsy showed he died of coronary atherosclerosis.

Fortune, better known as the “Fortune Tellin’ Man,” was born and raised in Mississippi. In 1952 he migrated to Chicago, where he worked as a barber during the day and sang at blues clubs at night.

Perhaps best known for his 1963 recording “Too Many Cooks,” which became a minor hit, Fortune also worked with Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon.

-- times staff and wire reports [email protected]