Singer Nina Simone, considered one of the last great divas of the jazz world, died at her home in France on Monday, aged 70.
"It is with great regret and sadness that we announce the death of the legendary jazz singer, the great Nina Simone, who died this morning at her home," her manager Clifton Henderson said. He did not reveal the specifics of death, saying only that the star had "not been feeling very well for quite a while" and passed away from natural causes.
A musical child prodigy born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in the US state of North Carolina, Nina released her first single, I Love You Porgy, in 1959. In the years that followed the smokey-voiced singer came to be known as "The High Priestess Of Soul", releasing such hits as I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl, To Be Young, Gifted and Black and My Baby Just Cares For Me, a classic single which topped the charts again in 1987 after its re-release in Europe.
The classically-trained pianist inspired generations of new talent, from Aretha Franklin to newcomer Norah Jones. American soul singer India.
Arie was one of the first to pay tribute after news of her death was announced. "She was ahead of her time as a concert-level piano player who sang, wrote and spoke her mind," she said. "I aspire to be more like her."
"Nina had incredible talent," remembered friend and jazz concert promoter George Wein. "She was different and creative, and there must have been a touch of genius in her mind. There was never anyone like Nina Simone, before or since."
Nina, who left the US in 1973 and spent the last decade of her life in France, is survived by a daughter, Lisa Celeste, from her marriage to Andrew Stroud, which ended in 1970 after nine years.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
