When Luther Vandross died Friday afternoon, R&B lost an icon, and the artists he influenced were quick to express their loss and respect. Vandross had established himself as one of the most soulful and captivating voices in music, up there with the likes of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye. “In his heyday, he was the man who had women screaming ‘Luuvffa!’ and had the guys reaching for his album when they were trying to romance their dates,” John Legend said onstage Friday night at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, just hours after hearing of Vandross’ death. Also performing at the festival were Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys, who both spoke of Vandross onstage, with Franklin addressing the loss before performing “Precious Memories” and Keys dedicating “If I Ain’t Got You” to him.