Two-time Grammy-winning jazz singer, Cassandra Wilson, passed away at her home in Jackson, Mississippiher longtime manager announced. Wilson passed away “peacefully at home” on September 2, Wednesday. She was 70.
Robert Torre, who has managed the singer for over 20 years, released a statement to Jackson-based radio station 88.3 FM WBGO that the singer passed away. A cause of death was not announced.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist,” the statement read. “Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager. Her family and close friends respectfully ask for privacy during this difficult time as they grieve her loss.
“Further information regarding memorial services and arrangements will be shared at a later time.”
It is unclear if the singer was suffering from any illnesses. In January this year, she was present at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where her life was celebrated alongside “The Roots” and other big names in American jazz.
Who Was Cassandra Wilson?
A lifelong Jackson resident, Cassandra Wilson is considered one of the greatest female American jazz singers. Coming from a family of musicians, she learned piano at six and guitar at 12, according to a profile by the Harvard Gazette.
She started performing professionally in the 1970s and continued doing so in formal and informal settings before her big break came in the year 1988 with ‘Blue Skies.’ She studied at Jackson State, which brought her into contact with emerging local musicians, which included jazz drummer Alvin Fielder.
She spent some time in New Orleans, exploring the city’s rich jazz heritage, before moving to New York City in 1982. In NYC, she became associated with the M-Base movement: a musical philosophy developed by saxophonist Steve Coleman.
Within a few years of being with the M-Base movement, she made a name for herself with her iconic voice and launched her solo career. ‘Blue Skies,’ released in 1988, was her first album and it explored the standards of jazz.
Also read: Why is Natalie Harp named in a lawsuit? Latest update on Trump and his top White House aides
Then, in 1993, she dropped “Blue Light ‘Til Dawn”. This album incorporated influences from folk, blues, country and rock.
Her 1995 release “New Moon Daughter” earned Wilson her first Grammy the following year. In 1997, she sang Wynton Marsalis “Blood on the Fields,” which became the first jazz composition to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music.
The next Grammy for the jazz icon came in 2008 for the album “Loverly.”
