Cassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter, and producer, has died at the age of 70. Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard confirmed that Wilson died on Tuesday morning at her home in her native Jackson, Mississippi.
Grammy-Winning Jazz Vocalist Cassandra Wilson Passes Away at 70
Robert Torre, her manager of 20 years, released a statement to jazz radio station WBGO confirming the passing. 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,
Torre said in the statement. Her family and close friends requested privacy during the grieving period, and a cause of death was not disclosed. She is survived by her son, Jeris.
Early Life and Rise to Musical Prominence
Born and raised in Jackson, Wilson was the daughter of musician Herman B. Fowlkes and teacher Mary Fowlkes. She developed an early appreciation for music by listening to Motown, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. By age six, she had begun piano lessons, and she later played clarinet in marching bands. While studying at Millsaps College and Jackson State University, she performed in coffeehouses and cover bands.
During the early 1980s, Wilson mentored under jazz greats in New Orleans before relocating to New York City. In New York, she co-founded and became the main vocalist for Steve Coleman’s M-Base Collective, a group that reimagined funk, soul, and jazz. She found wider fame with her third studio album, 1988’s Blue Skies,
and went on to build a critically acclaimed catalog. Editors at Time magazine dubbed her America’s Best Singer
in 2001.
A Genre-Bending Career and Major Accolades
Known for her idiosyncratic contralto and a sultry, smoky vocal style, Wilson expanded the boundaries of traditional blues-based jazz by effortlessly working across folk, pop, R&B, country, and experimental genres. Her distinctive artistry earned her four Grammy nominations and two wins for Best Jazz Vocal Album: first in 1997 for New Moon Daughter,
and again in 2009 for Loverly.
In 2015, Wilson performed a special concert at the Apollo Theater to commemorate the 100th birthday of blues singer Billie Holiday. That same year, she released her final album, Coming Forth by Day,
as an homage to Holiday. In March 2022, she received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master’s Fellowship alongside Stanley Clarke, Billy Hart, and Donald Harrison.
Tributes From Across the Music World
Following the news of her passing, fellow artists and civic leaders shared heartfelt tributes honoring her lasting legacy. Musician Jon Batiste paid tribute on Instagram, noting her profound impact on his own artistry. 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 wrote, adding, Her Mississippi heritage was always present in everything no matter how expansive her artistry evolved.
Questlove also honored the singer on social media, referring to her as The Siren Of Sirens.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn issued a statement highlighting her deep connection to her roots. Cassandra Wilson carried the sound, spirit and history of Mississippi with her wherever her music reached,
the mayor said, noting that the city lost an extraordinary native daughter and the world lost a singular musical voice.
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