April 17, (THEWILL) – Legendary Jazz pianist, Ahmad Jamal, has died at the age of 92, after a battle with prostate cancer.
According to Daily Mail, his death was confirmed by his daughter, Sumayah, who revealed that he died in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
Jamal, a renowned composer and bandleader, was admired by jazz greats such as Miles Davis, for his contributions over a six-decade career.
Jamal’s tune, ‘I Love Music’, was prominently sampled in the classic rap song by Nas, ‘The World Is Yours’, in 1994.
The Kennedy Center named him a “Living Jazz Legend” in 2007, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2017, for his contributions to music history.
He had his professional training under the tutelage of his mentor, opera director, Mary Cardwell Dawson, following that, he became immersed in the music of many jazz greats including Earl Hines and Erroll Garner.
The United States Jazz great, however, detested the moniker “Jazz” and later came up with the phrase “American classical music”, to characterise his preferred genre.
