Jazz singer-songwriter Cassandra Wilson has died at the age of 70.
On Wednesday, manager Robert Torre announced that the legendary artist had passed away at her home in Jackson, Mississippi the previous day.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist. Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager,” he said in a statement to jazz radio station WBGO. “Her family and close friends respectfully ask for privacy during this difficult time as they grieve her loss.”
A cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Plans for a memorial service will be shared soon.
After studying classical music at school, Wilson co-founded the M-Base collective in New York. The group reimagined funk, soul, and jazz music.
Later, the singer found fame with her third studio album, 1988’s Blue Skies, and her 1995 album, New Moon Daughter, for which she won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Wilson also earned a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her 2008 album, Loverly.
And in 2001, editors at TIME magazine hailed the star as “America’s Best Singer”.
Following the sad news, a number of musicians honoured Wilson’s legacy.
“Cassandra. The Siren Of Sirens. That Voice, That Gift. Damn,” Questlove wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Jon Batiste recalled collaborating with Wilson on many occasions.
“I learned so much from her and I am so sad she has passed away. She had an unmistakable vocal tone, phrasing and her approach of weaving folkloric, R&B and diasporic music together with experimental and popular genres had a major impact on me. She sounded like the south. Her Mississippi heritage was always present in everything no matter how expansive her artistry evolved,” the musician added.
Wilson is survived by her son Jeris.
