Amy Winehouse, Etta James, Whitney Houston.
Say what you want about any of them, but they all had soul. Whitney was the first vocalist I idolized, and Etta is who aspire to be, both as a singer and songwriter. My little corner of the music world seems kinda empty without their talent flooding it. Esp Etta...she was a legend.
Audio clip of Etta dissing Beyonce:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxmaTztxi4s&feature=youtube_gdata_player
RIP to all three of them.