Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson died Wednesday at her home in Jackson, Mississippi. She was 70.
Wilson "transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager," her manager Robert Torre told WBGO. The cause of death was natural causes, the Hinds County Coroner's Office confirmed to People. Her family has requested privacy during this time.
Wilson, who was born in Jackson, was celebrated for her unique blend of jazz, blues, folk, and R&B, often challenging the conventions of the American Standard songbook. She twice won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album: in 1997 for "New Moon Daughter" and in 2009 for "Loverly."
Her career began in the mid-1970s, and by the early 1980s, she had relocated to New York City and co-founded the M-Base Collective. A significant turning point came in 1992 when she signed with Blue Note Records and released "Blue Light 'Til Dawn," an album that influenced a new generation of jazz singers.
Throughout her career, Wilson collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including The Roots, Elvis Costello, and Wynton Marsalis. In 2015, she released "Coming Forth By Day," an album dedicated to jazz icon Billie Holiday in commemoration of her 100th birthday.
In a 2017 interview with The Harvard Gazette, Wilson described the demanding nature of pursuing jazz, stating, "I think you're always setting yourself up for heartbreak when you choose jazz, regardless of what era it is. 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."
Musicians and public figures paid tribute to Wilson's legacy. Jon Batiste shared on Facebook that he "learned so much from" Wilson, citing her "unmistakable vocal tone, phrasing and her approach of weaving folkloric, R&B and diasporic music together with experimental and popular genres" as a major influence. He added that she "sounded like the South," with her Mississippi heritage always present in her expansive artistry.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn stated that Wilson "carried the sound, spirit and history of Mississippi with her wherever her music reached," adding that the city had lost an "extraordinary native daughter" and the world a "singular musical voice."