Grammy-Winning Singer Dead at 70: Cassandra Wilson

Jazz musician Cassandra Wilson, a two-time Grammy winner, died last week in her native Jackson, Miss. She was 70.

Robert Torre, who managed Wilson for two decades, released a statement confirming Wilson’s death to WBGO.org. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist,” Torre wrote. “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.”

Torre’s statement to WBGO went on to state that information about a memorial service and arrangements would be shared later.

Wilson will be remembered not only as one of jazz’s most talented musicians, but also as one of the genre’s most unique talents. She seamlessly incorporated country, gospel, folk and blues music into her material. In 2001 Time magazine named her “America’s Best Singer.”

Her career took off when she co-founded and sang vocals for M-Base, a Brooklyn-based group that quickly gained popularity. She eventually embarked on a solo career that was a great success. In 1996, her album, New Moon Daughter, earned her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. The following year, she was part of Wynton Marsalis’ Blood on the Fields oratorio, which received a Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first jazz music composition to be given the award.

More than a decade later, in 2009, Wilson was awarded a second Grammy, this time for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Loverly.

Following news of Wilson’s death, Jackson, Mississippi mayor John Horhn released a statement, relayed by WLBT3, saying, in part, “Cassandra Wilson showed the world the richness of Jackson and Mississippi music. Her legacy will continue to be heard in the artists she inspired and the pride she brought to her hometown.”