I’m late with this, but it’s worth noting here anyway that regal R&B singer Etta James, who died Friday at age 73, spent her last decades in Riverside, a surprise to many who first saw that fact in her obituaries.

She moved there in the 1980s from south L.A. for a better life for her and her family, a common theme in those who move inland.

We’ve still got her music, such as her iconic song “At Last,” seen in the video above in a filmed performance. Still, not only is James’ death a loss to the world, the Inland Empire has lost its queen.