Jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson, two-time Grammy winner, dies at 70

Cassandra Wilson, a two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer, died on Tuesday morning at her home in Jackson, Mississippi, the Hinds County coroner confirmed. A statement from her manager said Wilson passed away peacefully surrounded by family, close friends and her manager.

Born in Jackson to musician Herman B. Fowlkes and teacher Mary Fowlkes, Wilson began piano lessons at age six and later played clarinet in marching bands. She performed in coffeehouses and cover bands while attending Millsaps College and Jackson State University, then mentored with New Orleans jazz musicians before moving to New York City to join Steve Coleman’s M-Base Collective as its lead vocalist.

Wilson earned four Grammy nominations and won two awards for best jazz vocal album, for "New Moon Daughter" in 1997 and "Loverly" in 2009. In 2015 she performed a tribute concert at the Apollo Theater for Billie Holiday and released her final album, "Coming Forth by Day," also honoring Holiday. In 2022 she was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.

Musician Jon Batiste praised Wilson’s distinctive contralto and her ability to blend folk, R&B and diasporic music with experimental and popular styles. Jackson Mayor John Horhn said the city had lost an extraordinary native daughter and the world had lost a singular musical voice.

Wilson’s career was noted for expanding the boundaries of traditional blues-based jazz and for her influence across multiple genres.