Jazz Icon Cassandra Wilson Dies at 70 in Mississippi Home

Grammy-winning jazz singer Cassandra Wilson died at 70 in Jackson, Mississippi, according to her longtime manager Robert Torre, who said she passed away early Wednesday morning surrounded by family and close friends, with no cause of death released. Torre asked for privacy as the family grieves. Wilson, known for her deep contralto and blending of blues, funk, and jazz, earned two Grammys—for “New Moon Daughter” in 1997 and “Loverly” in 2009—and was named “America’s Best Singer” by Time in 2001.

She began her career in the 1980s, co-founded the M-Base collective with saxophonist Steve Coleman, and released her debut solo album “Point of View” in 1986 before signing with Blue Note Records for the acclaimed “Blue Light ‘Til Dawn.” Her collaborations spanned a wide range of artists, including the Roots, Wynton Marsalis, Greg Osby, Luther Vandross, Angelique Kidjo, Terrence Blanchard and Olu Dara, and her final solo album “Coming Forth by Day” paid tribute to Billie Holiday in 2015.