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Charles "Skip" Pitts, the revered soul guitarist whose iconic guitar riff for the "Theme From Shaft" helped make both the song and its eponymous movie pop-culture touchstones, has died. He was 65.

According to a rep for the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Pitts passed away in Memphis on Tuesday after a battle with cancer.

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Pitts' storied career was marked by his fertile, 40-year collaboration with Isaac Hayes, whose band he joined in 1970.

Their work on the Shaft soundtrack signaled a definitive and watershed moment in the blaxploitation film movement, pushing it to the forefront of the pop consciousness and giving black filmmakers a foothold -- and a sound.

The Washington, D.C.-born musician began playing well before his teens and was mentored by Bo Diddley, who was a neighbor.

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Aside from his collaboration with Hayes, Pitts was also a session musician for Stax Records and played alongside music greats including Al Green, Sam & Dave and Wilson Pickett.

His work with the Isley Brothers also produced another iconic song, "It's Your Thing."

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Pitts continued to be a prolific musician well into his final years. He and his band, The Bo-Keys, released an album last year, and he also performed on the soundtracks to Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan and Soul Men.

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