On Wednesday (9.02,) the singer’s manager Robert Torre announced that legendary Jazz songstress Cassandra Wilson passed away at her home in Jackson, Mississippi. She was 70-years old.
“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 family and close friends respectfully ask for privacy during this difficult time as they grieve her loss,” said Torre in a statement to jazz radio station WBGO.
After studying classical music at school, Wilson co-founded the M-Base collective that reimagined funk, soul, and jazz music.
The iconic singer subsequently found fame with her third studio album, Blue Skies (1988) and New Moon Daughter(1995), 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 news of her death, a number of musicians honored Wilson’s legacy, including Questlove who took to Instagram with “Cassandra. The Siren Of Sirens. That Voice, That Gift. Damn.”
Jon Batiste recalled collaborating with Wilson on many occasions, writing:
“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.”
Wilson is survived by her son Jeris, and plans for a memorial service will be shared soon.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Scott Penner from Ottawa, Canada