TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer Cassandra Wilson has died at age 70. She died Tuesday morning in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard confirmed. No cause of death was immediately disclosed.
"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," her manager, Robert Torry, said in a statement to jazz radio station WBGO, as quoted by The Financial Express.
Time Magazine named her “America’s Best Singer” in 2001. Wilson was celebrated for her genre-defying voice, which pushed the boundaries of traditional blues-rooted jazz while seamlessly embracing folk, pop, R&B, and country.
Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Cassandra Wilson developed a passion for music from an early age, studying piano and playing clarinet before performing with bands and at coffeehouses. After mentoring with jazz musicians in New Orleans, she moved to New York and became the lead vocalist of Steve Coleman’s M-Base Collective.
Her distinctive voice earned her two Grammy Awards for “New Moon Daughter” (1997) and “Loverly” (2009). In 2015, she honored Billie Holiday with a concert at the Apollo Theater and released “Coming Forth by Day,” her final album. In 2022, Wilson was named an NEA Jazz Master, one of the highest honors in American jazz.
Most of Wilson’s acclaimed recordings came during her years with Blue Note. Her 1993 album “Blue Light ’Til Dawn” sold more than 400,000 copies, followed by “New Moon Daughter” in 1995, which surpassed 650,000 sales. Both albums reached No. 1 on Billboard’s jazz albums chart. Critic Gary Giddins praised Wilson as “a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack.”
As we reflect on her life and career, here are five of Cassandra Wilson’s songs you should hear, according to Men’s Journal.
5 Cassandra Wilson songs you should hear
1. “Death Letter” from album “New Moon Daughter” (1995)
2. “Strange Fruit” from album “New Moon Daughter” (1995)
3. “Solomon Sang” from album “New Moon Daughter” (1995)
4. “Tupelo Honey” from album “Blue Light ‘Til Dawn” (1993)
5. “Time After Time” from album “Traveling Miles” (1999)
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