Grammy-Winning Singer Dead at 97: RIP to Cleo Laine

Grammy winner Cleo Laine, the most successful jazz singer to hail from the United Kingdom, has died. She was 97.

Her death was announced by her daughter, Jacqui Dankworth.

Laine, who released a whopping 100+ albums over the course of her six-decade career, was so beloved in her native country that she was knighted and named a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1997.

She was known for her smoky, soulful musical stylings, and her skill in scat singing. She often toured with her husband, saxophonist John Dankworth, where they played venues large and small across the globe. In 1986, she won a Grammy for best female jazz vocal performance for her album Cleo at Carnegie: The 10th Anniversary Concert.

Laine was prolific in music, theatre, and film, and was in everything from serious plays like The Mystery of Edwin Drood (for which she received a Tony nomination) to sillier fare like Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show.

Her music was so acclaimed worldwide, a New York Times reporter saw her as she played in New York City for the first time and wrote that the British were “hoarding what must be one of their national treasures.” In 1978, she was described by some critics as “the best singer in the world.”

Her children, Jacqui and Alec, released a statement on her death published by The Guardian, “It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon. We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time.”