Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning American jazz singer, has died at the age of 70.
Her manager, Robert Torre, confirmed that Wilson passed away peacefully at her home in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday, surrounded by family, close friends, and Torre himself. The statement did not disclose the cause of death, and her loved ones have requested privacy during this time.
Renowned for her rich, expressive contralto voice, Wilson’s career as a singer-songwriter and producer spanned more than three decades. She earned the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1997 for her album “New Moon Daughter,” and received another Grammy in 2009 for Best Jazz Vocal Album with “Loverly.”
Wilson made history with her leading role in Wynton Marsalis’s 1997 oratorio “Blood on the Fields,” the first jazz work ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. Throughout her career, she collaborated with acclaimed artists including saxophonists Steve Coleman and Greg Osby, as well as the hip-hop group The Roots.
Musician Jon Batiste paid tribute to Wilson on social media, writing, “I learned so much from her, and I am so sad she has passed away. She had an unmistakable vocal tone and 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.”
