Cassandra Wilson, the celebrated jazz musician whose smoky voice and genre-blending style made her one of the most distinctive artists of her generation, died Wednesday at her home in Jackson, Mississippi. She was 70.
‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist,’ her manager Robert Torre told WBGO, adding that she ‘transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager.’
Torre also said Wilson’s loved ones are requesting space as they mourn. ‘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.’
The Hinds County Coroner’s Office confirmed to People that Wilson died of natural causes.
Across her acclaimed career, Wilson won two Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album: first in 1997 for New Moon Daughter, and again in 2009 for Loverly.
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Wilson as well as the Hinds County Coroner’s Office seeking additional comment.
Jazz musician Cassandra Wilson died Wednesday at her home in Jackson, Mississippi, at 70. She is pictured in New York City in 2017
Known for stretching the boundaries of jazz, Wilson worked with a wide range of notable artists during her career, including The Roots, Elvis Costello and Wynton Marsalis.
Wilson’s passion for music began early in life, as she was six-years-old when she learned to play the piano and 12 when she took up guitar, a biography on her website stated.
She honed her craft as a singer during the mid-1970s, and co-founded M-Base Collective after she relocated to New York City in the early 1980s.
Wilson in 1992 signed with Blue Note Records, from which she released her album Blue Light ‘Til Dawn, according to her bio, ‘which would pave the way for a new generation of jazz singers seeking an approach and repertoire that challenged the supremacy of the American Standard songbook.’
Wilson in April of 2015 released the album Coming Forth By Day, a memorial to late jazz icon Billie Holiday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her birthday.
Wilson spoke about the intricacies of the jazz genre in a 2017 interview with The Harvard Gazette during a time she had been involved with the university’s Jazz Master in Residence program.
‘I think you’re always setting yourself up for heartbreak when you choose jazz, regardless of what era it is,’ Wilson said. ‘It just comes with its own baggage, because of the nature of the music. And it pushes you. You have to be very strong in order to do this.’
She continued, ‘You choose it because you have a longing and you’re searching and you also feel some sort of connection with that tradition.’
Wilson twice won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album: In 1997 for New Moon Daughter and in 2009 for Loverly
Wilson seen onstage in Rhode Island in August of 2003
Amid news of her passing, multiple notable names paid memorial to the late jazz vocalist.
Jon Batiste said in a Facebook post that he ‘learned so much from’ Wilson while previously touring with her.
‘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,’ Batiste said. ‘She sounded like the South.
‘Her Mississippi heritage was always present in everything no matter how expansive her artistry evolved.’
Jackson, Mississippi Mayor John Horhn told WLBT in a statement that Wilson ‘carried the sound, spirit and history of Mississippi with her wherever her music reached.’
Horhn said that ‘Jackson has lost an extraordinary native daughter, and the world has lost a singular musical voice.’
