Walter Hawkins, an ordained bishop and one of gospel music’s legendary figures, died July 11 at his home in Ripon, Calif. He had pancreatic cancer. Bishop Hawkins began performing with his family, including cousin Shirley Miller and siblings Edwin Hawkins and Lynette Hawkins Stephens, when he was a teenager. In the late 1960s, the Hawkins’ song “Oh Happy Day” rose …

RIPON, Calif. — Walter Hawkins, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, composer and pastor from Oakland has died. Edwin Hawkins, his older brother, says Walter passed away July 11 after losing a battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Oakland, Hawkins studied for his divinity degree at the University of California at Berkeley, where he recorded his first album entitled “Do Your …