ONDON, April 3 — The Nashville-born soul singer Edwin Starr, whose 1970 hit "War" denounced conflict as good for "absolutely nothing," died on Wednesday at his home in central England. He was 61.

The cause was a heart attack, his manager, Lilian Kyle, said.

Mr. Starr, who was born Charles Hatcher, gained fame in the mid-1960's with a series of soul hits, including "Agent Double-0 Soul," which he promoted by appearing in a short film with the original James Bond actor, Sean Connery.

Mr. Starr signed to the Motown record label and had more hits in the United States and Britain, where his gutsy and strident style earned him a large cult following.

His most memorable numbers were the foot-stompers "Twenty-Five Miles" from 1969 and the visceral No. 1 hit "War," a thundering indictment against war, which earned him a Grammy Award and includes the lyrics:

War has shattered many young men's dreams,
We've got no place for it today.
They say we must fight to keep our freedom,
But Lord, there's just got to be a better way.

Mr. Starr served in the United States Army for three years before turning to music. He shifted from soul to disco in the late 1970's, and in the 1980's he moved to Britain and performed in oldies and soul revues.

More recently he played at charity events and was to perform in July at the international music festival Womad (World of Music, Arts and Dance) in Reading, England.