Allen Toussaint

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint easily adopted multiple musical roles during a legendary career that took him from the Crescent City to the world stage, writing or producing hits such as “Southern Nights” and “Ruler of My Heart,” or performing at his beloved piano, often stylishly dressed in colorful suits.

Toussaint died Tuesday in Spain of a heart attack, Madrid emergency services spokesman Javier Ayuso said. He gave his last performance at Madrid’s Lara Theater on Monday night.

“He was a legend in the music world,” said Quint Davis, who produces the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Toussaint performed there so often — starting in 1973 — that Davis said Toussaint referred to the festival as his “annual concert.”

Born in New Orleans’ working class Gert Town neighborhood, Toussaint went on to become one of the city’s most legendary and celebrated performers and personalities.

Early on, Toussaint was known mostly as an R&B songwriter and producer. He worked for the New Orleans-based Minit Records in 1960 before being drafted in the Army for two years.

He worked with such luminaries as Lee Dorsey, Art and Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, the Meters and Joe Cocker. Thomas remembered Toussaint as someone who wrote beautiful stories set to music.