Rick James, famed for the funk dance songs 'Super Freak' and 'Mary Jane' and for his drug and legal problems, has been found dead in his Los Angeles home, police said on Friday.

Hollywood police officers responded to a call of a natural death and found the body of James.

Rick James, 56, born in Buffalo, New York, saw his career fall apart in the past decade after a crack addiction led to a spell in prison for assault and false imprisonment. He also suffered a stroke in 1998 after bursting a blood vessel while performing in Denver.